


Dance of Monsters and Sorcerers

by mewgirl1995



Series: The Future of Humans and Monsters [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Diplomacy, F/F, F/M, Female Frisk, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Magic-User Frisk, Minor Violence, Sorcerers, Time Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-08-19 11:20:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 39,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8204140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewgirl1995/pseuds/mewgirl1995
Summary: After the events of Up into Sunlight, Frisk must face events of the past involving Gaster and deal with the mysterious Sorcerer's Guild, the humans responsible for creating the barrier.





	1. Chapter 1

                                                                                                         

 

A small group of men and women had gathered to watch the speech. In one of the secret chambers in one of the highest towers of their castle, they sat around a large table with all members focused on the glass before them. The image showed a little girl, no more than ten or eleven years old. She wore a dark blue dress that went down to her knees. A single golden flower had been pinned in her hair for the occasion. Her eyes shone with determination.

“Could she be the child we have been looking for?” One of the group’s members asked. He was a tall man with dark hair and skin. On the front of his cloak was a golden brooch. It bore a crescent moon surrounded by seven stars: the Sorcerer’s Rune. “She looks like it and I can tell how strong her determination is just from looking at her.”

The little girl had light brown skin and short, wavy brown hair that bounced as she approached the podium. She walked with a level of confidence that a child normally did not possess. “Hello everyone.” Her voice did not waver. “It has been about a week since the barrier between monsters and humans was broken and the monsters were able to leave the Underground.” Her smile widened. “I think everything is going very well.” This was met with applause from both the humans and monsters.

“The Council disagrees,” One elderly woman with white hair pinned up in a bun said, rolling her eyes at the screen. The other members of the Council nodded in agreement. The barrier should have stayed up forever. It was better for humans that way.

The little girl continued, “We hope that everything continues to go smoothly. As of yesterday, the monsters unanimously decided that they would like Asgore to serve as their representative for the city council.” More cheers followed and a very tall monster standing off to the side of the stage looked embarrassed. “The mayor thought that it would be a good idea to elect a second monster as well so we held a second election in the evening.” The girl smiled. “I’d like to announce those results as well.”

“How can all those people be so blind?” One tall woman with dark blonde hair said. She leaned back in her chair and kicked up her feet to rest them on the table, as she picked at her finger nails. “We should end this now. Between the six of us, we could slaughter every one of those monsters. Right Chancellor?”

“Our guidelines dictate we must wait and observe for seven years in the case of the Barrier breaking,” The tall man, Chancellor, said. He shot an annoyed look at her feet. “Though perhaps we should override that rule. I never expected this to happen.”

The little girl continued, “So everyone has decided for Toriel to be the second representative.” Another large monster looked rather flustered, while there were many cheers. Many loud cheers came from a group of young human and monster children. “So with that matter settled, I think we have successfully come together as a monster and human city.” More cheers followed again. “Thank you for all being so wonderful.”

“She makes me sick,” The dark blonde women said, rising to her feet. Her dark black cloak with the Sorcerer’s Rune billowed around her as walked toward the door.

“Cavalier come back here!” Chancellor said. “We agreed to watch the entirety of the speech.” Cavalier’s hand paused over the doorknob. She sighed and returned to her seat.

“The last thing I wanted to speak about,” The little girl said, she seemed to look right towards the source of the seeing spell. She should not have been able to perceive it but all of the members of the Council felt shivers run down their backs anyway. “For everyone watching, I want to encourage you to come visit Ebott. To meet all the monsters that live here and see how wonderful they are.” She smiled again. "We want to have a celebration every year here. The anniversary of when monsters were freed and we all came together as friends. Thank you if you've come to this years’ and I hope you'll come next year if you did not make it this time." A huge roar of applause came from the crowd, startling the girl. She blushed as she curtsied and left, smoothing out her dress and hair as she hurried down the stairs of the stage.

"What do we know about her?" Chancellor asked, leaning forward in his chair to address the Council. A man with blonde hair slipped a file out of his bag and set it on the table. “What have you found Boon?”

"Her name is Frisk Smith," Boon said, flipping open the file. "She was left on the doorstep of the orphanage with a note that gave only her first name. Smith was given as a last name as is always customarily done."

"Your info is outdated," Cavalier said, gesturing to the screen. Frisk stood with a small group of monsters. "Her name is Frisk Dreemur.” She spoke her last word with a tone of disgust. “Her last name changed when that one monster adopted her." Cavalier pointed to the tall monster wearing a dress with the Delta Rune on it. “That one.”

"Regardless," Boon said with a sigh. "We know nothing about her parentage. She does have extremely high determination though. That seems suspicious to me." The other council members nodded. "We need to do more research into this girl."

"How old was she again?" Cavalier asked. "Eleven?"

"Close to eleven, only a month and a half away." Boon said. "Which means she was alive during the incident, perhaps about a year old." The Council members all looked uncomfortable. He was referencing the battle, the one treacherous night that left them in ruins.

“What do you think Gamut?” Cavalier asked the elderly woman.

“I think she is either an abnormality or we have found the child we have been searching for,” Gamut said. She glanced over at the shorter man sitting to her right. He had been silent for the whole meeting. Granted, he had been silent for most of his life since the battle. “What do you think, Kismet?” As the man looked up, his long brown hair shifted out of his eyes to reveal long scars across his face. Both of his eyes were scarred and blank. He moved his head over towards the screen. A silver brooch bearing the Sorcerer’s Rune, glittered in the light as he moved.

“I think we should wait the required seven years,” He said. “Then Cavalier should go to speak with this girl.”

“Why me?” Cavalier said with a tone of disgust. Kismet turned his head toward her. She swallowed nervously.

“Because you will do as I suggest,” He said and fell silent again. Grumbling, Cavalier leaned back in her chair.

“How about me?” The youngest Council member spoke up. Her cloak barely fit around her small shoulders. She smiled and leapt up from her chair, red curls bouncing around her freckled face. Several burn scars stretched across her face. “I’m closest to this child’s age. Maybe she would be more friendly to me? It would give us a huge advantage.” As the teenager moved her arm to brush her hair out of her face, her sleeve slipped down, revealing more scars.

Chancellor shook his head. “No Pip,” He said. “We don’t want her to be friendly. We want to make it clear that what she is doing is wrong. We need someone much more menacing.” Pip frowned, crossing her arms.

“Should I take that as an insult?” Cavalier asked with a sigh. She watched the screen with an amused look. “Go closer,” She said. Chancellor waved his hand and the view shifted, moving around the crowd of monsters and humans to focus on Frisk. The girl chatted with a small skeleton monster as they headed off away from the crowd.

“Was it really good?” Frisk asked, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. “I mean, I’ve never done anything like that before Sans.”

“don’t sweat it kid,” The skeleton, Sans, said. He shrugged. “seemed mushy enough to me.”

“Mushy?” Frisk said with a startled expression.

“yeah and inspirational and all that junk,” He said. “don’t worry about it.” Smiling, he nudged her with his elbow. “you’re great frisk.”

A small blush spread across Frisk’s cheeks and she shook her head. “I’m no one special,” She said. “I just want to do my best to help all of you. You’re all my dear friends!” The skeleton looked surprised and embarrassed as Frisk pulled him into a tight hug.

“well you’re certainly putting a lot of backbone into it,” Sans said. The two of them laughed. “let’s get to that party you promised.”

Frisk nodded and walked away with monster. Both of them had huge smiles as they continued to chat and laugh together.

“She’s certainly good friends with this skeleton monster,” Gamut said with a wry smile. Cavalier rolled her eyes. “Interesting data to consider perhaps?” Kismet flinched and clenched his hands. Suddenly the glass screen exploded. All of the other sorcerers winced and flinched away from the broken glass. “Kismet!”

“Sorry,” Kismet said as he stood. “Forgive me.” The man limped out. His cloak fluttered behind him, showing a white image of the Sorcerer's Rune. The others stared after him with solemn gazes.


	2. Chapter 2

Three months had passed since Frisk had gotten rid of Chara. Summer had arrived and with it was the anniversary of the monsters’ arrival to the surface. Along with the anniversary was her annual speech as the ambassador. Fidgetting back and forth, Frisk stared into the mirror. Small white scars surrounded her right eye. Frisk sighed as she touched them. She was not even entirely human anymore. Explaining everything to the town had been complicated, but everyone seemed understanding. Frisk smoothed out her green dress, fidgeting with it. She almost never wore dresses and it made her uncomfortable. It seemed more restrictive than her normal clothes. Frisk gently picked up the golden flower pin and tucked it into her hair. As the symbol of Ebott, Frisk wore the flower for every official event.

“Frisk?” Toriel called up the stairs. “Are you almost ready?”

“Coming mom!” Frisk said, exiting the bathroom. She raced downstairs to meet Toriel and Asgore. Frisk noticed that the two had been hanging out a bit more in the recent months. She decided not to mention it for fear of scaring Toriel away from a second chance at love.

“You look wonderful Frisk,” Toriel said. “We should get going.”

“Today is an exciting celebration,” Asgore said. “Seven years have gone by without incident. You should be proud.” Frisk blushed and just shook her head. “Come along child.” Together the three of them headed off to the celebration with Frisk w­alking between them.

All of Frisk’s closest friends were waiting behind stage to speak with Frisk before the speech. Everyone but Sans had also donned fancy clothes for the celebration. Despite Papyrus’ insistence, Sans refused to wear anything aside from his normal outfit. As Toriel, Asgore, and Frisk approached Sans grinned at Frisk, nudging her as he said, “You look sans-sational.” They both laughed.

“I hope my speech is good enough,” Frisk said.

“it always is,” Sans said with a shrug. He pulled her into a tight hug. “you’re pretty cool after all.” He kissed her, laying one hand against her cheek. Frisk smiled back.

“You’re a great orator!” Alphys said, nodding. “Everyone looks to you for inspiration since it’s so easy to find it with you.” Frisk blushed and shook her head. She pulled away from Sans and peeked out of the curtain at the gathering crowd. Hundreds of monsters and humans sat intermingled together out in front of town hall. Near the back of the crowd Frisk spotted a woman she did not recognize. The women wore a dark cloak and had a frown on her face.

“I WOULD NOT WORRY TOO MUCH,” Papyrus said, walking up to Frisk. He patted her on the back. “FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU.” Frisk smiled up at him. “BUT I BELIEVE YOU COULD PROBABLY STILL DO IT ON YOUR OWN.”

“oh yeah,” Sans said, remembering something. “alphys and i found something in the lab.” Frisk glanced back over at them.

“We found a safe in the old Hotland lab,” Alphys said. Both her and Sans had been moving every possible piece of data from the old labs. If they were going to bring Gaster back they needed to gather as much information possible about the broken machine as well as his other projects. “We figured we could crack it open and look through the documents.”

“That sounds great,” Frisk said. So far they had made very little progress, so hearing about the safe lifted her spirits. She listened to the mayor’s speech for a few moments and then said, “Sounds like I’m up soon.”

“You’ll knock ‘em dead,” Undyne said, punching Frisk’s arm. “Just like normal.” The mayor began to say a few things to introduce Frisk. “Hurry up so we can get to the real fun of today.” Along with the formal celebration, they also had a huge beach party for the whole city. There was music, fireworks, food, and fun. Her friends all left after giving her words of encouragement. They took their seats near the front of the crowd.

On her cue, Frisk walked out onto stage. She felt embarrassed as the crowd cheered for her. The woman near the back did not clap or even smile. Something seemed strange about her. She didn’t fit in with everyone else. “Hello everyone,” Frisk said, ignoring the odd woman. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Thank you for coming out today. As you all know, seven years have passed since monsters came back to the surface. It has been a wonderful seven years filled with monster and human cooperation.” Before Frisk could continue there was another round of applause. Blushing, Frisk continued with her speech.

Sans noticed the strange woman at the back of the crowd as well. He watched her with narrowed eyes and when he turned back to watch Frisk’s speech he saw Undyne was watching the woman as well. “something’s off,” Sans said, leaning behind Alphys to speak to her. Undyne nodded. She nudged Asgore and said something to him. The former king frowned and spoke back to her in a quiet and quick tone. Before they could say anything else Frisk’s speech had ended. Everyone stood, clapping and cheering. As soon as the crowd began to disperse, Undyne slipped away along with the Dogi.

“Where’s Undyne going?” Alphys asked with a worried look.

“dunno, must be official business though,” Sans said. “she was talking to asgore.” Alphys frowned. “there’s something weird going on.”

Before the two of them could say anything else, Frisk came running over to them. She hugged Sans and kissed him. “I’m so glad that’s over!” She said with a sigh of relief. “Someday I won’t know what to say.”

“I think you will,” Alphys said. “Don’t be pessimistic. You taught me that!”

“unless you have a pessimist’s blood type,” Sans said with a smirk. “you know, b-negative.” The three of them laughed.

“Oh I forgot to tell you!” Alphys said. “Mettaton is going to be at the celebration tonight. He has time between filming his show to come.”

Frisk smiled. “That’s great! We’ll all be together then.” It had been a pretty long time since she’d seen him. “Where’d Papyrus go off to?”

“he’s helping set up with toriel and asgore,” Sans said, gesturing off in the direction of the dispersing crowd. “since we have a few hours, want to look at that safe?” Frisk considered it for a moment. People would expect to see her at the celebration at the beach, but they had some time. She nodded.

The safe was smaller than Frisk expected. Using his magic, Sans popped the door off and the three of them peered inside. “There’s a journal!” Alphys pulled out a thick leather bound journal. “He must have all sorts of notes about his experiments in here! I bet there’s lots of cool stuff here!” As she opened in a piece of paper floated to the ground. Frisk picked it up and studied it. It was a drawing of a woman. “Oh, what’s that?”

“A drawing,” Frisk said, staring at the picture. It was drawn roughly and was almost shadowy in nature. The women had long hair that stretched and curled down her back. She sat cross legged, leaning back on her hands. A wide smile crossed her features and a golden flower had been tucked behind her right ear. Only the flower had been colored in. “I didn’t know Gaster liked to draw.” Both Alphys and Sans leaned over and stared at the drawing. Sans’ eyes drifted up to Frisk’s face for a moment, before he looked back to the drawing again. Frisk reached inside the safe and found another pile of drawings. “Wow there’s a lot of them!” One image showed the woman eating a Cinnamon Bunny with an amused look on her face. Another showed her leaning back against a tree, reading a book. Frisk flipped through them with a surprised look.

“Dr. Gaster could draw blueprints really well, though sometimes he just drew portraits of other stuff for fun,” Alphys said, flipping through the journal. "These drawings are gorgeous! But why draw a human?" Her face turned red and she tossed the journal over to Sans. “This is his personal journal! Oh, I can’t read this! Th-That’s so embarrassing! I would die if anyone read my journal!” Sans shrugged and scanned the text.

“What’s this say?” Frisk asked, leaning over to Alphys. She gestured to some scrawled symbols near the bottom of one of the drawings. Alphys narrowed her eyes, scanning the words.

“Uh I think that’s an m,” Alphys said, scratching at her head. She gestured to the first squiggle. “Sorry, it’s kind of hard to read his writing sometimes. I uh think it says ‘Moxie, the anomaly,’ ” Alphys said. Sans eyes snapped over to look at them. He frowned and stared at the picture again.

“moxie,” he muttered under his breath, then he flipped through the journal searching for more information.

“Anomaly?” Frisk asked surprised.

“I always thought you were the anomaly,” Alphys said with a confused expression. “I guess it makes since that you’re not, the readings started up years before you showed up, but then who is this?” They both glanced over at Sans, who was staring at the journal with a shocked expression. “What does it say?”

“he was talking to a human,” Sans said. “all those times he left to go to the garbage dump by himself. all that time he spent in the lab by himself.” He flipped through the journal and his expression darkened. “he hid this from us for years.” Sans gripped the journal tighter. “why?”

Frisk set the drawing aside. She found a packet of parchment neatly tied together. They all were short notes written in beautiful, sweeping cursive. “There are notes here,” She said. “They weren’t written by Gaster." She cleared her throat and began to read them out loud.

“I will not,” The first note read. “Stop making robots to send up here.” Frisk set it aside and read the next one. “We won’t be able to make a compromise monster.” Frowning, Frisk continued to read the notes.

“You are staying trapped there!”

“Forget it.”

“Stop writing me!”

 “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

Frisk continued to flip through the stack of notes and read them aloud, noticing that they gradually became less curt. She finally got to the last note. It seemed almost friendly. “Moxie. Don’t think that I’m telling you my name because we’re friends! In fact, we are nothing but scientific associates. Since I’m stuck here guarding you all I might as well learn some things.”

“This is crazy,” Alphys said. She had taken the journal back from Sans and was scanning it. “Apparently this woman was guarding the barrier? There were no guards there when we exited.” She glanced up at Frisk with a confused look. Frisk just shrugged. “Oh gosh, this is turning into a real mystery.” Alphys shook her head and gestured to the first journal entry. “This all started with that first DT detector.” She glanced up at Frisk and explained, “We all went to the dump and were scanning human objects, when Dr. Gaster wondered if we could send a small robot up through the river. It seemed like a brilliant plan, but the robot got destroyed. We all thought it just couldn’t get past the barrier without draining its battery too much.” She shrugged. “You know, the barrier was still incredibly strong. We knew for sure that monsters and humans couldn’t pass through, but we weren’t sure if it prevented anything from crossing it. We sent a second one but it died too.”

“So Gaster lied about the battery?” Frisk said. She frowned and flipped through the notes. “Why did Gaster never tell you about this?” She glanced over at Sans who had fallen silent.

“Well according to this,” Alphys began, staring down at the journal. “It seems like Dr. Gaster thought we’d all get in huge trouble if Asgore found out. After all, we only needed one more soul to break the barrier.” Adjusting her glasses, Alphys cleared her throat and then read, “ ‘Asgore would want me to find a way to take this human’s soul and bring it back. We would finally have the seven souls needed to break the barrier. However, I think we must be more cautious. We must learn what we can from this human. Though, admittedly, she will perhaps be extremely difficult to co-operate with. Judging from the limited information I have gathered about her, I have concluded that she belongs to the Sorcerer’s Guild. It worries me that they still exist. As we are now, we would never be able to survive on the surface with them still around.’ ”

“The Sorcerer’s Guild?” Frisk asked, turning to Sans with a confused look.

“they’re a bunch of jerks,” Sans said, breaking his unnatural silence. “humans that have strong determination can use magic just like monsters, but its much more limited. the sorcerer’s guild existed to train those humans and their council served as sort of a de facto leader of humans.”

“Gaster said they would kidnap children with strong determination and forcibly train them to become powerful sorcerers!” Alphys cut in with a horrified expression. “It was horrible!”

“since humans can’t express themselves with magic like monsters can they had to train day and night to become competent at magic use,” Sans said. “sounded like a sucky setup.”

“But what about the SAVE, LOAD, and RESET magic?” Frisk said. “If only the person with the highest determination could utilize it then how were they trained? What was their job?”

“Sounds like that’s what this woman was,” Alphys said, scanning the journal. “Looks like most sorcerers learned to utilize magic for more practical purposes and then the sorcerer with the highest determination was sent to guard the barrier until someone else with stronger determination was born. Or until they died.” She frowned. "So the previous person with the highest determination trained them?" She guessed.     

“Are they still out there?” Frisk said, feeling sick. “Could they still want to-” She broke off, shaking. “What if they try to hurt everyone?” Sans took her hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb.

“it’s been years,” He said. “they’d be late to the party if they tried anything.” Alphys nodded and then glanced at her phone.

“Oh no!” She shrieked, leaping up. “We’re late to the party!” Both Sans and Frisk laughed as Alphys rushed to put everything back in the safe. “We should go guys!”


	3. Chapter 3

Once they got to the beach Frisk kicked off her heels. They had been hurting her feet and it was nice to feel the warm sand in between her toes. “Where have you guys been?” Undyne asked as Alphys, Frisk, and Sans walked out toward the party on the beach.

“We were uh,” Alphys began to say and shot a concerned look at Frisk and Sans.

“Looking at some things in the lab,” Frisk said.

“Oh, doing some nerdy crap I bet!” Undyne said, nudging Frisk. “Find anything cool to do with your magic?” Frisk shook her head. “Well, I guess you don’t need to know much about it besides the fact that it’s awesome!” Blushing, Frisk just shook her head again. “I’m glad you guys got here when you did,” Undyne said and her face twisted into a scowl. “You’ve left me alone to deal with…him.”

Before Frisk could reply, they all heard a familiar voice. “Frisk, darling, there you are!” Mettaton rushed over to them and scooped up Frisk without effort. “Oh it has been too long, but that is show business!” He twirled her around and she laughed.

“Nice to see you too Mettaton,” She said. A little while after coming to the surface, Alphys had fully completed Mettaton’s body so it was not unstable like it had been when Frisk fought him.

“Oh darling,” Mettaton said, staring at Frisk’s right eye. “Your poor eye. Alphys had told me about it but it really is awful.” Embarrassed, Frisk glanced away and Sans shot an irritated glare at Mettaton. “I mean you still look wonderful, but it’s too bad those ugly scars with linger like a dark reminder of what happened that day.” Sans glare intensified as Frisk’s smile turned to a frown. “But enough of that pessimism, you MUST tell me how you’ve been.”

“Oh good,” Frisk said. “Busy, I guess?”

“Oh yes,” Mettaton said, winking at her and Sans. “Very busy I suppose. Dating your best friend?” Frisk’s face flushed red while Sans looked more annoyed. “How scandalous! A monster and a human relationship. I’m sure people must be gossiping all the time.”

“Mettaton!” Alphys exclaimed. “Don’t just say things like that! Th-That’s really rude!”

“Ohhh,” Mettaton said. “I’m sorry Alphys, I must have forgotten the time you called me at two in the morning to excitedly tell me about Sans and Frisk’s relationship.” Alphys turned as red as Frisk while Mettaton turned to speak to Sans and Frisk, “She has already surely begun to plan out your wedding, sketching silly things in her journal, just like she used to about herself and Undyne!” Alphys shook her head and waved her hands, too embarrassed to speak. “Oh she’s the biggest fan of your relationship and perhaps the biggest gossip.”

“Me-Mettaton!” Alphys protested, but the robot continued on.

“She told me all about the little Valentine making party and how AWFUL all of those initial Valentines Frisk made were,” Mettaton continued as Alphys buried her face in her hands. “How she wants to ask you guys to go on a double date with her and Undyne but she’s too nervous.” Undyne also blushed a little at this and glared at the robot. “I could tell you a hundred more things, but since the music is starting up we should really get to partying!” Sans and Frisk looked thoroughly frustrated and embarrassed, respectively. “Let’s go dance Frisk!”

“What? Wait, Mettaton I-” Frisk began to protest, but the robot dragged her off anyway.

An upbeat song played from the speakers set up on the beach. Mettaton dragged Frisk over near the speakers to dance with her. “Surely, you must have been working on those dancing skills since I have last been here,” He said, spinning Frisk by her hand. Her dress twirled all around her.

“I can always try,” Frisk said, giving into Mettaton’s antics for the moment. “Surely, I’ll need a competent partner to dance well though, right?” She winked at him and spun around on her heel, clapping to the music as she danced. Sand flew up from the ground as her feet collided with the ground.

“Oh darling, that cuts deep!” Mettaton said as he caught her hand again and pulled her over, dipping her. Frisk giggled.

They whirled around one another, matching their movements to the music with ease. A small crowd had gathered to watch them. With a fond smile, Frisk thought back on her “battle” with Mettaton, which she had turned into a similar dancing performance. They joined hands and moved in synchronized motions, swinging around one another. Mettatron spun Frisk around, before catching her around the waist and dipping her again. They repeated the motions again and again, gradually increasing the speed of the dance with the music and the crowd’s clapping.

Sans, Undyne, and Alphys watched the commotion from a little way away. “Well Mettaton certainly knows how to get a party going,” Alphys said, fidgeting around as they watched. “Ri-Right Sans?”

Sans narrowed his eyes at Mettaton, feeling a bit jealous. The pure delighted look on Frisk’s face frustrated Sans. He could never dance with her as well as Mettaton. He had two left feet. Undyne noticed Sans’ glare and she smirked. “What? Jealous of Mettaton?” She asked, startling Sans.

“course not,” Sans said with a shrug. “why would i be?”

“Oh I dunno,” Undyne said, waving her hand. “You know, he’s just giving Frisk the best time of her life while you can barely slow dance without tripping all over yourself.”

“listen fish lady,” Sans said with an annoyed tone. “there’s no reason i’d be jealous of that tin can.”

“Sure, sure,” Undyne said, smirking. “Not at all, huh? If you say so.” 

The song ended, but as soon as the next one started back up, Mettaton insisted that they dance to that one as well. Frisk agreed. Another half an hour of dancing passed by. Breathing heavily, Frisk smiled at Mettaton, “Maybe we can dance some more later, I’m exhausted.”

“Of course darling,” Mettaton replied.

Frisk found the others at one of the volleyball courts. As usual Papyrus and Undyne had gathered some others and were furiously engaged in a game. Sans and Alphys sat in the sand watching. Frisk sat down next to Sans and fell back into the sand with an exhausted sigh. “I never want to move again in my life.”

“you look drop dead tired,” Sans said, glancing over at her. He glanced away again as he said, “you looked like you had fun.”

“Yeah, but it was exhausting,” Frisk said. She moved over, laying her head on Sans’ lap. “I could sleep for a year.” With a fond smile, Sans stroked her hair.

“well rest up before my bro notices you’re back.”

“FRISK!” Frisk groaned and glanced over at Papyrus who beamed at her as he waved. “WON’T YOU COME JOIN OUR TEAM? WE WILL BEAT UNDYNE WITH YOU ON OUR SIDE.”

“Maybe later,” Frisk said with a kind look. At Papyrus’ disappointed look, Frisk got up. “Fine, but if I die then it’s on your conscience.”

Sans chuckled as she ran off to get into position.

As the light began to fade away, the monsters and humans lit torches set up around the beach. The day had been full of dancing, games, and music. Though Frisk had noticed the strange blonde woman a few times, she didn’t think much about it. As the torches glowed, the music switched to a slower song. Humming along to the song, Frisk said goodbye to Monster Kid and the two humans she was talking with before running off to go find Sans.

Sans was just about to start eating a hot dog when Frisk came racing over to him. With a huge smile she held out her hand to Sans. “Come dance with me?” She asked, blushing slightly.

“do you know why skeletons don’t dance?” Sans said, taking a bite of the hot dog. “cause they don’t have no-body.” Frisk rolled her eyes.

“I’ll be your body,” She said. “Come on, please?”

“why don’t you ask that tin can?” Sans said a bit more bitterly than he meant to. Frisk frowned slightly. Embarrassed, Sans sighed and set aside the hot dog. “fine, but it’s not my fault if i step on your feet.” Frisk dragged him over towards the middle of the beach.

“You’re not that bad of a dancer,” Frisk said, taking Sans’ hand in hers and placing her other hand on his waist. He mirrored her position. She hummed along to the song quietly. “ ‘I want to share all my love with you.’ ” Frisk sang. Sans glanced away, embarrassed. 

“you’re being mushy,” He said. “knock it off.” Frisk giggled. Clearly, she enjoyed flustering him.

“ ‘Your eyes tell me how much you care,’ ” Frisk sang again, smiling. “ ‘Oh yes, you will always be my endless love.’ ”

Sans let go of Frisk’s hand and pulled her closer, tucking his face against her shoulder to be closer to her. Drifting back and forth, they danced to the song with Frisk half humming and half singing along to the song. She closed her eyes, resting her head against Sans’. The moment felt so wonderful and sweet.

“Thank you for dancing with me,” Frisk said.

“guess i’m obligated to,” Sans replied. Frisk smiled and shook her head. “no? well, it’s alright i guess.” He paused and said, “ ‘i’ll be a fool for you.’ ” As the song came to an end, Alphys snuck around to the stereo and fiddled with the music player to cue up another slow song. Then she ran off to go dance with Undyne.

As the end of the second slow song, Frisk and Sans pulled apart and kissed. Blushing, Frisk leaned her forehead against Sans’. “I love you.”

“love you too,” Sans said, glancing up at Frisk with a huge smile. Frisk held both of his hands in hers, smiling back. Before she could say anything, the first boom of the fireworks shook the ground to announce that the show would be starting in an hour. “Looks like it’s almost over,” Frisk said, glancing up at the sky. “How beautiful.” Sans was about to agree when he spotted the strange cloaked woman again. He narrowed his eyes at her. “What is it?” Frisk asked, turning to follow Sans’ stare.

“i have a bad feeling about that lady,” Sans said. “she was at the speech too. undyne and asgore seemed nervous she was there.” Sure enough, when Frisk looked over at Undyne, the former leader of the Royal Guard was also keeping an eye on the strange woman.

“I should go talk to her,” Frisk said, letting go of Sans’ hands.

“what?” Sans asked, about to protest, but Frisk had already began to jog across the beach. He sighed and watched from afar.

The woman glanced at Frisk with an annoyed glare. “I wondered when you would notice me,” She said. Her eyes drifted up and down Frisk’s dress. “You have destroyed that dress. How careless of you.”

“I’ve never seen you around here,” Frisk said with a smile, ignoring the woman’s insult. “I’m Frisk.” She held out her hand to the woman.

The woman stared at her outstretched hand with disdain. “I know who you are child.”

Frisk frowned. Child? The woman said it differently than Toriel or Asgore. It seemed more like an insult than a nickname. “Who are you?”

“My name is Cavalier,” The woman said. “I am a council member for the Sorcerer’s Guild.” Frisk’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh, that means something to you? Perhaps those worthless monsters did educate you.”

“Why are you here?” Frisk asked without letting her worry and anger show.

“To assess the situation,” Cavalier said. “Though I must admit we have been watching rather closely from afar.” Her face twisted in disgust. “You are certainly a very interesting girl. Dating a monster for one. How unnatural.” Her lips curled in disgust as she frowned at Frisk.

“Why?” Frisk asked. She clenched her fists, but took a deep breath. She shouldn’t get angry at the woman. “Sans and I-”

“It’s like dating a dog,” Cavalier interrupted, shaking her head. “Monsters aren’t like us girl.”

“Yes they are!” Frisk said, losing her temper. “Have you ever even met a monster?” The sorcerer glanced at Frisk with an amused look.

“Wow,” She said. “No need with magic like that.” Confused, Frisk tilted her head to one side. What magic? “Have you not realized? You’ve been using your magic to convince everyone here to live in peace with monsters.” Cavalier laughed. “It’s subtle, unconscious, and unrefined.” She poked Frisk’s nose. “You need training. All of your skills are unsophisticated.” Eyeing Frisk’s torn up and sandy dress, she snorted and shook her head. “Even your appearance.”

“What are you talking about?” Frisk asked, glancing around at the crowd. They were all busy setting out towels and blankets to watch the fireworks. Everyone seemed happy. It must have been of their own will. Frisk hadn’t done anything.

“You’re using your magic to interject your own happy experiences with the monsters into the town,” Cavalier explained. “While it’s not mind control per se, it’s certainly a very interesting technique. You’ve been creating empathy where none exists, but it won’t work on people who actually know what monsters are like.” Cavalier turned on her heels and began to walk away as she spoke, “They’re all emotion. Even their magic is just an extension of their emotion. They have no higher, critical thinking like us. This little experiment will fail girl.”

“You are wrong,” Frisk said with a determined look. Frisk followed after the sorcerer, maintaining a brisk walk to keep up with her.

“You would think that,” Cavalier said, continuing to walk away. “You’ve been around these creatures for a long time.”

“I lived ten years with humans and almost seven with humans and monsters,” Frisk said. “In all that time I have not seen any reason why we cannot all live together. Monsters are just as smart as humans. They invent and write novels and-”

“All I am saying girl,” Cavalier said. “Is that previous knowledge says this will fail. Monsters will turn on you eventually.” They had walked away from the beach. As Frisk's bare feet left the sand and touched the grass rocks and sticks poke her bare feet, making her wince. “Or your influence will fail and humans will turn on monsters. We were not meant to live together.”

“You are wrong,” Frisk said again, keeping herself calm. She shook her head and forced herself to smile at the sorcerer again. “Everything is so wonderful here. Maybe you should just give it a chance.”

“You are a stupid little girl.” Cavalier whirled around towards Frisk. “Your optimism makes me sick! Someone ought to knock some sense into you.”

“Would you like to come to dinner at my house?” Frisk asked, trying to be as amiable as she could manage. She felt confident she could convince Cavalier that they could all be friends. “I could invite everyone over. You could see how wonderful they all are.”

Irritated, Cavalier swung her hand at Frisk to slap her. Before her hand made contact, Sans appeared and caught her wrist. “i wouldn’t do that if i were you,” He said, left eye glowing. “unless you wanna have a bad time.” Cavalier ripped her hand away with a look of disgust. Then she noticed Frisk’s right eye had lit up as well. She narrowed her eyes at Frisk. Embarrassed that she had used the magic, Frisk glanced away and deactivated it.

“The Council does not approve,” Cavalier said slowly as she rubbed at her wrist. “I would consider your options child. Would you like this city to continue standing?”

“Are you threatening us?” Frisk asked with a hurt look. “Why? We haven’t done anything to hurt you.” She pushed past Sans who stood in front of her protectively and smiled at Cavalier. “Surely you saw how much fun everyone had today, right? Just tell the Council about that.”

Cavalier did not respond. “We will see what our fellow Council members have to say. Especially about your interesting magic,” She said. Frisk frowned. “You were just about to use monster magic. It’s much different than human magic-much more wild since it’s all emotion. I thought the scars around your right eye were interesting. It must have something to do with that weird monster lab, huh? We can’t keep track of everything after all.” Cavalier flipped her hair over her shoulder as Frisk stared at her feet. “Unfortunately, I am obligated to tell you to attend our next meeting.”

Frisk stared up at Cavalier with a surprised look. “What?”

“You are technically the seventh member,” Cavalier said with an angry sigh. “Chancellor wants you to come for the voting on proposals. He’s such a traditionalist.” Cavalier rolled her eyes. “So, you better hurry along. We’ll vote in a few days and since you’ve never been there I’m guessing you’ll be driving.”

“sounds like a trap,” Sans said, glaring at Cavalier.

The sorcerer returned the glare, but ignored his comment and spoke to Frisk, “See you soon child.” She shot another look at Sans before saying, “Just remember this, a monster can easily take your SOUL, but you cannot take theirs. As long as monsters live on the surface, humans are in danger.” With that said, she walked away. Her cape fluttered behind her. The bright white crescent moon and seven stars shone in the darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

“This is exactly what I feared.”  As soon as Cavalier had left, Sans and Frisk went straight to Undyne who then brought them to Asgore. The former king sighed and turned to face the three of them. “I had asked Undyne and the other former members of the Royal Guard to see if the Sorcerer’s Guild still existed and we could not find any trace of them. Until today at least.”

“Why are they bugging us now?” Undyne asked. “Those stupid humans, they’re so full of it! Saying monsters are inferior to humans, god they’re such idiots!” She kicked a nearby branch, sending it flying.

“they’re real numbskulls alright,” Sans said with a smirk.

“Do you know anything about the Sorcerer’s Guild, my child?” Asgore asked. Frisk nodded slightly. “Well, one thing that may not be written in history books is that they are responsible for the war.” He turned and stared off towards the beach with a solemn look. “Humans and monsters lived in peace. We may not have shared living spaces, but we traded goods and information. The Sorcerer’s Council served as the ruling body of the Sorcerer’s Guild as well as all of the humans. They became more and more jealous of us.”

“Because humans can’t use magic as easily as monsters?” Frisk asked. Asgore nodded.

“They wanted to utilize our power, our magic. They thought that having a monster SOUL would allow better ease at using magic,” Asgore said. “One day a monster was slain by a sorcerer in attempt to take their SOUL. However, they were shocked to see that the monster’s SOUL did not linger like theirs do. Thus, began the lies the Sorcerer’s Council needed to start the war.”

“No monster had ever taken a human SOUL back then,” Undyne said. “I mean, I guess we did later, but that’s not the point! That stupid Council went around acting like monsters were killing humans left and right, completely ignoring the fact that humans are like a hundred times stronger!” Undyne nudged Frisk. “Like you. You’re a thousand times stronger than any of us!” Frisk paled and shook her head.

“We fought against the false accusations but fear tends to spread like fire,” Asgore said sadly. “And so we were driven to war.”

“Do you think they plan to do the same thing?” Frisk asked with a worried expression.

“I do not know,” Asgore said.

“We should just take them out first!” Undyne said, summoning her spear. “My Royal Guard and I-”

“Would be slaughtered in seconds,” Asgore said. Surprised, Undyne shrunk back and the spear disappeared. “The Sorcerer’s Guild is not just a normal group of humans. Back before the war there were hundreds of humans that possessed enough determination to use magic. They trained daily and are skilled warriors. Especially the Council. They are the seven strongest Sorcerer’s. Per tradition, one of them had the ability to SAVE, LOAD, and RESET.”

“frisk has that power,” Sans said, glancing at Frisk. “that’s why she’s the seventh member?”

“Yes,” Asgore said. “Hence why they want you to attend the meeting.”

“You can’t go anywhere near those humans Frisk!” Undyne exclaimed.

“What?” Frisk asked, startled. “Why not?”

“they’ll kill you,” Sans said. “so one of them will have the highest determination. like i said, it’s a trap. ”

“If they gain those powers,” Asgore said, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It would be the end of monsters.”

“They wouldn’t be able to kill me,” Frisk told her friends with a comforting smile. “Not while I can LOAD. Don’t worry about me.”

Asgore shook his head. “They will find a way to break your determination.” He knelt so he could look Frisk in the eyes. “Please avoid them. For your own safety.” He put both hands on her shoulders and then hugged her. “I do not wish to lose you, child.” Frisk smiled and hugged him back.

“Should we tell the others?” Undyne asked. “I don’t want to worry them if-”

“Let’s keep this between us for now,” Asgore said. “Check with the Dogi to see if anything dangerous has been spotted and then return to the fireworks show. Although it is likely almost over by now.” Undyne nodded. “Let us all head back.” Asgore headed out first and then after a few moments, Sans and Frisk followed in the same direction.

“Be careful you two,” Undyne said before she left. “Don’t do anything stupid!”

After she left, Frisk turned to walk towards the lab. “We need to read Gaster’s journal,” Frisk said. “If he was talking to a member of the Sorcerer’s Guild then we may be able to learn more about them. Maybe she’s still around?” Sans nodded in agreement and the two of them headed off to the lab instead of going back to the beach.

With the journal in front of them, Sans flipped through the pages, scanning them for any useful information. “this human was the strongest sorcerer at the time,” Sans said. “so i’m guessing she might not be around anymore.” Frisk stared at the symbols, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to read them and blowing out an annoyed breath when she couldn't. “apparently, gaster made a small videophone to talk to her.” Sans sighed. “why didn’t he trust us with this?” He continued to flip through the pages. “this goes on for years. it’ll take forever to read it all.” Sans slammed the book shut and tossed it aside.

“We need to approach them directly,” Frisk said. “I need to go to that meeting.”

“that’s suicide,” Sans said, shaking his head.

“We’ll go together,” Frisk stood up.

“no way,” Sans said. Frisk ignored him and picked up the journal. “frisk, don’t be an idiot.”

“I’m going,” Frisk said. She glanced back at Sans and smiled. “How else will I be able to keep all of you safe?” She turned to head out of the lab. “No one will notice that we’re gone until after the party tonight.” Sans did not move. Frisk sighed and clutched the journal tight to her chest. “I’m either going alone or-”

“i swear kid,” Sans said, sighing. “you’ve been making me work way too hard lately. asgore isn’t going to be happy with us.”

“I know.”

Frisk returned home to pack a suitcase and change clothes before hurrying over to Papyrus and Sans’ home. Sans scrawled a note to Papyrus and left it on the kitchen table. In order to get to the sorcers' castle they decided to “borrow” Papyrus’ car. Frisk tossed her suitcase into the backseat and got into the driver’s seat. She struggled to pull the seat closer to the wheel and then adjusted all the mirrors. Sans started to read the journal from the beginning, kicking his feet up onto the dashboard and leaning back in the seat. “Any idea where we need to go?” Frisk asked as she started the car.

“east,” Sans said. He opened a map and gestured to a city called Alcastle on an old monster map he had found in Alphys’s lab. “looks like where they used to be at least.” He then gestured to a modern map. Frisk nodded and wrestled with the gear shift. “you can drive, right frisk?”

“Mom taught me,” Frisk said. “I mean, a little bit. I was going to get my license this year.” The car jerked backwards.

“if we can’t get out of the driveway,” Sans said with a wry smile. “i hope you have a backup plan.” Frisk laughed and shook her head. The car backed up and Frisk managed to get onto the street without killing them. “if you break Papyrus’ car, we’re both dead by the way.”

“It’ll be fine,” Frisk said, putting the car in drive and heading down the street. Warm summer air blew her hair out of her face as they drove away. “Let’s just worry about getting as far away as possible as quickly as possible.”

Once the fireworks show had ended, all the humans and monsters hung out at the beach, playing games and chatting. Once the torch lights began to burn out everyone finally started to make their way home. Undyne went to look for Sans and Frisk. She couldn’t find them anywhere in the crowd. “Where the hell did they wander off to?” Undyne asked with an irritated glare. They were all planning to go back to Toriel’s house to eat ice cream and hang out in the backyard.

“Maybe they got tired and went home?” Alphys suggested. “Though Frisk would have said goodbye.”

As they were speaking, Toriel came up to them. “Have you two seen Frisk?” She asked.

“Haven’t seen her or Sans for hours,” Undyne said with a frustrated sigh.

“Perhaps they headed back home earlier than expected,” Toriel said. As she walked away, Undyne began to worry. Where could Sans and Frisk had wandered off to? Had the sorcerer done something?

“Papyrus!” She yelled as Papyrus walked by, chatting to some human. “Get over here!”

“WHAT IS IT?” Papyrus asked, startled.

“We need to find your brother and Frisk,” Undyne said. “They could be in danger.”

Eyes wide, Papyrus nodded. “DO NOT WORRY UNDYNE, I SHALL FIND THEM RIGHT AWAY!” He headed off as Undyne dialed Frisk’s number on her phone. She tapped her foot as the call went straight to voicemail. She then dialed Sans’ number.

“hello?” Sans said.

“Sans! Finally, I have been trying to reach you and Frisk for-”

“just kidding, this is my voicemail. leave a message.” The phone beeped and Undyne stared at it angrily, vowing to kill Sans once she found him.

“I’ll go check the lab,” Alphys said. “Maybe they went over there?”

“There better be over there,” Undyne said. “Those two idiots are going to give me a heart attack. It’s barely been thirty minutes and they’re already off ignoring every single thing I just told them! Ugh being their friend is impossible!”

Right as Undyne was about to go look somewhere else her phone began to ring. It was Papyrus. As Undyne answered it, Papyrus yelled into the phone. “MY CAR IS GONE!” He shrieked. “AND SANS HAS LEFT SOME SORT OF CRYPTIC NOTE ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER!”

“What’s it say?” Undyne asked, running towards Papyrus’ house.

“IT IS COMPLETE NONSENSE!” Papyrus said. He cleared his throat and read, “ ‘BRO, SORRY FRISK AND I STOLE YOUR CAR. IT’S A BONEHEADED IDEA THAT FRISK HAD. WE’RE GOING TO GO TALK TO SOME GENOCIDAL MANIACS. DON’T WORRY, WE’LL BE FINE. FROM, SANS.’ ”

“What?!” Undyne screamed into the phone. “UGH! I just told those two screw ups to not do anything stupid! And what do they immediately do? Something so incredibly freaking stupid I’d kill them for even thinking about it!”

“WHAT ARE THEY DOING?” Papyrus asked, but Undyne hung up on him. She needed to go after Frisk and Sans before they got themselves killed. She dialed Alphys’s number.

“Undyne?” Alphys answered. “They’re not at the lab, I-”

“I need one of your nerd maps from the old monster history books!” Undyne interrupted. “Those two idiots have gone to speak to the Sorcerer’s Council.”

“What?!” Alphys exclaimed. “But-but they’ll kill them! Or at the very least they’ll kill Sans. Those sorcerers hate monsters. Why would they do something like that?”

“I don’t know!” Undyne sighed. “Probably because Frisk has some crap idea that she has to face danger by herself, like usual.”

“Are we going after them?” Alphys asked right as Undyne’s phone began ringing. Undyne rolled her eyes and added Papyrus to the call.

“UNDYNE, I THINK WE GOT DISCONNECTED,” Papyrus said as Undyne answered the phone.

“Don’t worry about them, I’ll go get them,” Undyne said. “Chill at home and-”

“I WANT TO GO TOO!” Papyrus said.

“Forget it,” Undyne said. “Someone needs to stay here and keep Toriel and Asgore out of the loop. We need to make up some sort of lie.”

“I FEEL VERY OUT OF THE LOOP,” Papyrus said.

“I can stay Undyne,” Alphys said. “I mean, I’m not very good at fighting so I would just get in the way.”

“Nonsense!” Undyne exclaimed. “Papyrus sucks at fighting too, so it really doesn’t matter.”

“WHAT?” Papyrus said with a hurt tone. “I AM AN EXCELLENT FIGHTER.”

“Uh huh,” Undyne said, shaking her head. “Fine, whatever, you can stay here Alphys. I guess since they took Papyrus’ car, it would be strange if he wasn’t gone. You found that map yet?”

“I think Sans took it,” Alphys said.

“So how the hell are we going to find them?!” Undyne yelled in frustration, stomping the ground. She left a small crater there. “I’m going to freaking kill them! They are so dead this time!”

“SURELY YOU BACKED UP THE MAP?” Papyrus asked.

“Well I did,” Alphys said. “But when the lab got destroyed, uh, I never got around to making a new backup?” Frustrated, Undyne paced back and forth. “Asgore probably has another map in his house.”

“SO WE WILL BREAK IN AND STEAL IT!” Papyrus said. “EXCELLENT PLAN ALPHYS!”

Undyne groaned. “Listen you two,” She said. “We have to work quickly, got it? Don’t screw this up! I’m counting on you.” Without another word, Undyne hung up the phone and hurried over to her own home to get her car.

Soon after hanging up, Papyrus and Alphys arrived at Asgore’s house both out of breath. “I SUSPECT WE SHALL HAVE TO BE VERY SNEAKY,” Papyrus said, staring at the window. “PERHAPS I COULD BOOST YOU UP AND THEN CLIMB INTO THE WINDOW BEHIND YOU?”

“Um, sure I guess?” Alphys said, unsure of the quality of the plan.

If Asgore had been home, he would have heard the smashing and banging of Alphys and Papyrus clumsily climbing in the window. They managed to find the library within moments. Alphys tore through the books, searching for a map while Papyrus studied a portrait of Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, and Chara. “Can you look in those books over there Papyrus?”

“OF COURSE!” Papyrus said, turning away from the portrait. “RIGHT AWAY!”

Within a few more moments Alphys located the map. “I found it, let’s get back to Undyne!”

Right as they snuck back out the window, Papyrus’ phone began to ring. He answered it moments after it began to read. “HELLO! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

“Papyrus, Asgore and I have been looking everywhere and cannot find Sans and Frisk,” Toriel said with a panicked tone. “Do you know where there are?”

Papyrus stared at Alphys with a strained smile. “You have to lie,” Alphys whispered with a worried expression. “We can’t let them find out where Sans and Frisk really went.”

“UH OF-OF COURSE!” Papyrus said and launched into an elaborate lie, “FRISK WAS FEELING A BIT TIRED SO MY BROTHER AND I HEADED BACK HOME WITH HER SO SHE COULD REST AND THEN WE ALL GOT TO TALKING THAT MAYBE IT WOULD BE FUN TO GO CAMPING SO WE’RE ALL SETTING OFF IN THE MORNING WITH UNDYNE!” Alphys nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Had Toriel called her, she might have cracked under pressure.

“Oh?” Toriel said. Relief filled her voice. “Oh thank goodness. I was worried something had happened. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend.” The phone clicked as Toriel hung up.

“WHAT HAVE I DONE?!” Papyrus shrieked. “I LIED TO TORIEL! HOW COULD I DO SUCH A THING?”

Alphys patted Papyrus’ side. “It’s alright,” She said. “There’s no need to worry her. We’ll go get them back before anything bad happens.”

A loud horn honk startled Alphys and Papyrus, making them both jump. “Hurry up!” Undyne yelled from her car. Like Papyrus’, it was a convertible. However, it was blue and had flames painted on it. “We gotta a lot of miles to cover if we’re going to catch up to those idiots!”

Papyrus rushed over and leapt into the passenger seat as Alphys struggled with the map and hurried over to the car as well. “This is the city,” Alphys said, pointing to a place called “Alcastle.” “You can probably find it on a human map if it still exists or you could pinpoint its locations using these mountains or this river or-”

“Thanks,” Undyne interrupted. “But we should get outta here quick.” She leaned over Papyrus and kissed Alphys, whose face lit up red. “Be back soon, don’t do anything stupid while we’re gone!”

With that said, Undyne slammed the gas pedal down before Papyrus had even gotten his seatbelt on. He shrieked in fear as they shot away. Alphys sighed and stared after them. “Good luck,” She said. 


	5. Chapter 5

As Frisk drove she fiddled a bit with the radio to play some music. The sun had begun to rise in the distance. Yawning, Frisk glanced over at Sans, who was snoring. He had fallen asleep with Gaster’s journal open in his lap. “I really hope this isn’t going to end badly,” Frisk said to herself. It was a clear shot to Alcastle. They just had to drive on the highway for half a day or so and then go down some backcountry roads. Frisk figured that the others had noticed their disappearance. She also figured that Undyne would come chasing after them before too long.

Hours passed by as the sun began to rise higher and higher in the sky while Frisk felt more and more exhausted. More cars began to get on the highway and Frisk worried about her mediocre driving skills. “Sans?” She said, touching his shoulder. Yawning, he blinked and glanced over at her. “I think I should probably get some rest.”

“we’ll have to stop somewhere,” Sans said. “i can’t drive.”

Frisk nodded and got off on the next exit. The road weaved into a small town. Frisk pulled up to a small motel. She grabbed her suitcase and pulled out her wallet before her and Sans headed inside to the front desk. “Hello!” Frisk said with a huge smile. The woman at the desk turned and looked surprised to see Frisk and Sans. “We um need a room for part of the day. We’ve been driving and we need to rest a while before-”

“You’re from Ebott,” The woman interrupted. To Frisk’s surprise, she leaned over the counter and smiled. “Frisk? Right?” Frisk nodded. “All of the children around here adore you. You’re such a good role model.” Embarrassed, Frisk blushed. “It’d be an honor to have the two of you stay at my place.”

“Thank you,” Frisk said, fishing for her debit card in her wallet. Once the paperwork had been filled out, her and Sans headed to the room. Though he would never admit it to Frisk, Sans felt relieved that the woman had acted so nonchalant about him. Perhaps the sorcerer was telling the truth about Frisk’s magic. Considering Frisk could reverse time, it didn’t seem that impossible that she would be able influence other humans. “We probably shouldn’t stay for long.” Frisk said as she fished around in her suitcase for her pajamas. “I doubt Undyne plans on stopping to rest.”

“she might not even be following us,” Sans said as he sat down on the bed, pulling the journal out to read it.

“I doubt that,” Frisk said as she walked into the bathroom to change. She came back out wearing bright yellow pajamas with bananas on them.

A huge smirk spread across Sans face. “those are very a-pealing,” He said with a chuckle. Frisk rolled her eyes and stifled a laugh. She threw back the bed’s covers and crawled under them, snuggling into the sheets. “have a good nap.” Frisk nodded and within minutes she had fallen fast asleep.

The current section of Gaster’s journal had been discussing how he and Moxie had grown closer. At this point they had known each other for almost a year. Sans still couldn’t believe that Gaster had been speaking to the human behind all of their backs. Sans sighed and read the passage. “ _I feel conflicted_ ,” The writing on the page said. “ _I have learned much about humans and even Moxie herself. I do not want to go to the Surface knowing that the Sorcerer’s Guild is there and will slaughter us all. There is confusion bubbling up in every part of my mind. Now I find myself enjoying my time with Moxie more because I enjoy her, not because I enjoy learning about the humans or finding a way to help the monsters. No. I enjoy speaking to her because she is intelligent and surprisingly kind. Though I have never met any other humans, I am fairly certain she is also beautiful for one. Perhaps I just find her beautiful. Perhaps I have many feelings about her. Perhaps I have fallen in love with her. Perhaps that is a ridiculous idea. Perhaps that idea is actually backed by much evidence. I wish I could speak to Alphys and Sans.”_

“you should have,” Sans said with a sigh. He glanced over at Frisk. “you’re lucky i managed to run into one of the humans.” Reaching over, Sans ran his fingers through Frisk’s hair and sighed. Pieces of the puzzle had begun to fall into piece, but Sans was not quite prepared to assume anything just yet. He watched Frisk as she slept peacefully. Over the course of falling in love with Frisk he had felt a lot of the same things Gaster described in his journal. Though the memory of other timelines had always been on his mind, they had become a distant memory.

It had been at Alphys and Undyne’s wedding when Sans had begun to fall in love with Frisk, but the reality of it didn’t hit him until the sixth celebration of the barrier breaking.

“Hey Sans!” Frisk had said, offering a hand to him as a slower song had started to play. “Do you want to dance with me?”

Of course, Sans had refused, but Frisk insisted and grabbed his hand to pull him across the beach. As they danced, Frisk confessed about how worried she had been over the years. Though nothing bad had happened Frisk said that she could always feel a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. Looking back on it, Sans realized that it was probably due to Chara. At the time he just reassured her. “look kid,” He had said. “you’ve done a great job and i’m glad i put my faith in you.”

Frisk’s face had lighted up in delight. “Thank you Sans,” She had said. “You-You have no idea how much that means to me!” She then pulled him into a tight hug. Startled, Sans laughed and hugged her back.

“no problem.” Every realization had come crashing into his mind at once. He loved being with Frisk. He loved every moment spent with her. He loved being near her. Her touch comforted him. No one had nearly made him as happy, except for Papyrus. He had hugged her a bit tighter, closing his eyes to relish the moment.

Frisk slept with a smile on her face. Sans brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. She still did not stir. “i’m a pretty huge fool,” Sans said to himself before continuing to read Gaster’s journal.

Meanwhile, Undyne and Papyrus’ journey had not been nearly as peaceful. Once Undyne had filled Papyrus in on the Sorcerer’s Guild he was wracked with worry. “MAYBE WE SHOULD DRIVE FASTER,” He suggested at one point.

“That’s a stupid suggestion,” Undyne said back angrily. “First, we don’t have time to deal with those stupid human cops. Second, if we die then no one is going to be able to stop Sans and Frisk!”

“I CANNOT BELIEVE MY BROTHER WOULD DO SOMETHING THIS DANGEROUS,” Papyrus said, shaking his head. “ESPECIALLY SINCE HE IS SO LAZY!”

“Your idiot brother would move a mountain for Frisk,” Undyne said rolling her eyes. “He’s so lovesick it’s ridiculous.”

“SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE ELSE I KNOW,” Papyrus said, sending a sly look at Undyne, who blushed furiously.

“Shut up!” She yelled back. “Unlike Sans, I do not do idiotic things for Alphys!”

“OH I SUPPOSE GOING HALF ACROSS THE WORLD TO GET A BIRTHDAY PRESENT WHILE NOT SLEEPING FOR A WEEK DOES NOT COUNT AS STUPID?” Papyrus asked with a sly grin. “NOT AT ALL? NYEH HEH HEH!” Undyne did not bother to reply, but just blushed more. “PERHAPS YOU AND MY BROTHER HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN YOU THOUGHT?”

“Doesn’t change the fact that I’m pummeling both of them into the ground when I find them!”

After six more hours of driving, Sans and Frisk arrived at where Alcastle should have been. What they found was a destroyed town. Frisk parked on the outskirts. Seeing the destroyed town and knowing what lay ahead, Frisk was filled with determination. She SAVED and took a deep breath. Together with Sans, Frisk headed into the abandoned ruins. “What happened here?” Frisk asked, looking around with wide eyes.

“a fire?” Sans said. He gestured over to the burned remains of one building. Near the center of the town was a large castle. Stone towers supported what was left of it.

“I have a really bad feeling about this,” Frisk said.

Sans gave her a comforting smile. “what’s the worst that could happen?” He asked with a shrug. As they approached the castle, Frisk heard someone moving amongst the wreckage. She jumped and whirled around to see a young woman appear out of nowhere. She looked to be only six or seven years older than Frisk.

“Frisk Dreemur,” The woman said. The first thing Frisk noticed was the burn scars on her face and arms. “Nice to meet you, I’m Pip.” The bright red bun of hair on Pip’s head bounced as she walked forward. Even with all of the burn scars, Frisk could see freckles all over her face and arms.

“Are you another member of the Sorcerer’s Council?” Frisk asked as she touched Sans’ arm. His left eye glowed with his magic the moment Pip appeared.

“Yup,” Pip said, walking toward Frisk and Sans. “Wow a monster. Never seen one of those in person before. Cool magic.” With a wave of her hand, Pip summoned a large ornate spear. She grasped it and spun it around. “Mine’s cooler though.”

Sans narrowed his eyes at her. “a spear huh?” He said. “seen it before. it’s not the most eye catching weapon.” He snickered and Frisk raised an eyebrow at him. “nevermind, it’d be funnier if undyne was here.”

“Listen skeleton,” Pip said with an annoyed tone. “Your little human girlfriend has to come alone if she wants to talk to the council. No monsters allowed.”

Before Sans could reply, Frisk gently grabbed his shoulder. “It’s okay,” She said. “I SAVED right before we came here. Don’t worry.” Sans did not say anything, but nodded and his left eye returned to normal. Frisk turned back and smiled. “Alright, I would like to speak with them.”

As Frisk walked forward towards Pip, a huge blue spear hit the ground between her and the sorcerer. “Frisk, you are in so much freaking trouble!” Surprised, Frisk whirled around to see Undyne and Papyrus coming from another direction. They must have taken a different path through town. “How could you be so freaking stupid?!”

“Undyne wait!” Frisk said.

“You monsters are really annoying me,” Pip said and brandished her own spear. “The Council has important business to discuss. Our technical seventh member should be there!”

“Seventh member?” Undyne snapped at her. Another blue spear appeared in her hand. “Don’t give me that crap. You’re just trying to lure in Frisk so you can kill her!” She threw the spear at Pip, who leapt out of the way.

The sorcerer rolled her eyes. “Fine,” She said. “If you want to die that badly I suppose I’ll comply.” She moved faster than Frisk had ever seen anyone move. Startled, Undyne barely had time to block the attack with her own spear. “Your stupid magic can’t even create a real weapon!”

“I’ll show you!” Undyne swung the spear at Pip and then shot a barrage of smaller spears at her. Pip danced through them. Every single one missed

“Try harder than that!” Pip said with a taunting smile. The two of them clashed together. Undyne managed to knock Pip’s spear out of her hand and for a brief moment the sorcerer looked surprised before she leapt backwards to avoid another series of smaller spear attacks. She snatched up her spear and spun it to deflect further attacks from Undyne.

“Please don’t fight!” Frisk yelled, running forward to try to stop them.

Moving swiftly, Pip dodged another attack and grabbed Undyne’s spear, yanking it out of her hands. “Give up yet?” She taunted, tossing the magic spear aside.

“You stupid-” Undyne’s insult was cut short as Pip raced round behind Undyne. Frisk bolted forward, moving to block the attack with her own body. She shoved Undyne out of the way right before Pip’s attack hit. The spear pierced her body, stabbing right through the center of her chest. Frisk screamed in pain. Startled, Pip let go of the spear and backed away.

“Frisk!” All of her friends screamed at once.

As Frisk crumbled to the ground, Undyne caught her. Papyrus and Sans rushed over. “That was so freaking stupid! Why? Why would you do that?” Smiling, Frisk reached up to brush away the tears forming in Undyne’s eye. 

“Because you’re my friend,” Frisk said, coughing up blood. “It’s fine, I’m fine.” Glancing over, Frisk saw Pip watching the scene with a shocked expression. Sans followed her gaze and his left eye lit up blue. Frisk grabbed his hand and shook her head. There was no point in killing Pip. Tears slid down Sans’ face as he intertwined their fingers together.

“SURELY THIS IS NOTHING RIGHT?” Papyrus said as tears ran down his cheeks as well. He touched the spear, as if he was unsure if pulling it out would help. “YOU WILL BE ALRIGHT? RIGHT FRISK? YOU WILL BE ALRIGHT. PLEASE SAY YOU WILL BE ALRIGHT!”

“frisk,” Sans whispered, squeezing her hand. Blood pooled out of her wound, covering the ground. “don’t die. please, don’t die.” Darkness covered everything as Frisk lost consciousness. Then she LOADED.

A horrified look spread across Frisk’s face after they got out of the car. She shook with terror as Sans glanced over with a relieved look, rushing over to hug her.

“Undyne showed up.” She wrapped her arms back around him, shaking. “There was a sorcerer there to meet me. They know we’re coming and-” Tears began to stream down Frisk’s cheeks.

“i know,” Sans said, trembling as well. He hugged Frisk close, burying his face in her neck.

“It was all my fault. We shouldn’t have come here! I’m so stupid!” Frisk wiped away her tears.

“it’s okay,” Sans said. “it won’t happen again.” He glanced over at the road. “i’ll stay here and stop her from following you. just…just take care of yourself.” Sniffing, Frisk nodded before kissing him. She pulled away and ran off into the abandoned town. 

When Frisk arrived at the castle again, Pip came to meet her. She walked forward with a bounce in her step, glancing around to see if any of the monsters had accompanied Frisk. “Apparently this is the second time,” Pip said with a worried expression. “Chancellor said you died.”

Frowning, Frisk asked, “He knows I LOADED?”

Pip nodded. “Anyone who has ever previously had the SAVE and LOAD power can sense when its used. They can even remember what happened.” Pip frowned. “He said you sacrificed yourself to prevent me from killing one of those monsters.” Frisk nodded. Pip tilted her head. She looked confused as to why Frisk would do such a thing, but she chose not to ask. “So, uh, ready to go speak to the rest of the Council?”

“I am,” Frisk said, walking forward.

As Undyne and Papyrus arrived at the town, they spotted Papyrus’ car. “We must not be far behind!” Undyne exclaimed. “Hurry!” They raced into town and came face to face with Sans. “You idiot! There you are.”

“BROTHER!” Papyrus exclaimed. “WHY DID YOU GO ALONG WITH THIS FOOLISH PLAN?” Sans shrugged.

“it’s something to do,” He said wryly. As Undyne peeked around him and looked all over, he continued, “frisk already went on ahead.”

“What?!” Undyne exclaimed. “That stupid brat!” As she attempted to walk forward a wall of bones jumped up from the ground. Startled, Undyne shot a glare at Sans.

Left eye glowing, he just shook his head. “sorry. no fish allowed in.”

“I don’t have time for your pranks Sans!” Undyne said. “Let me through or I swear I’ll beat you into the ground!”

“frisk said you might die if you go further,” Sans said, pupils disappearing. “i can’t allow you to go through.”

“Die?” Undyne said with a laugh. “Whatever, those stupid human sorcerer’s couldn’t kill me.”

“they almost did,” Sans said. He choose not to mention that Frisk had shielded Undyne with her own body. That would just worry Undyne more. “frisk LOADED once already. let’s just stay out of this.”

Papyrus and Undyne exchanged unsure glances. “I MUST AGREE WITH MY BROTHER,” Papyrus said. “PERHAPS FRISK HAS MADE THE BEST CHOICE. SHE DOES TEND TO BE VERY PERCEPTIVE!” Undyne ground her teeth together and crossed her arms. She did not want to just wait around until Frisk either succeeded in convincing the Council or got slaughtered by them.

The castle must have been beautiful before the fire. As Pip led Frisk through the stretching halls, Frisk saw the torn and burnt remains of beautiful tapestries, rugs, and curtains. Restorations had been done on most of the castle, but either the sorcerers’ magic could not restore inanimate objects or they were just not powerful enough to fix everything. Soon they reached a huge doorway. Pip whirled on her heels and picked up a package that was sitting on a small table. “Put this on,” She said, handing the package to Frisk. When Frisk opened it, she saw a black cloak. It was the same as the ones both Pip and Cavalier wore. “Technically you’re the seventh member of the council whether you like it or not.”

Frisk just nodded and pulled the cloak on over her shoulders. “I’m ready.” Pip nodded and pushed open the door to the inner chambers of the Sorcerer’s Council. 


	6. Chapter 6

A huge table sat in the middle of the room. One older Sorcerer sat at the head of it while four more sorcerers sat on either side. Frisk sat down next to Cavalier, who glared at her. Pip sat across the table next to a blonde man that looked to be only a few years older than her. “Welcome Frisk. I am Chancellor,” said the man at the head of the table. He gestured to the other sorcerers. “Meet your fellow council members: Gamut, Kismet, Boon, and of course you already met Pip and Cavalier.” No one waved or smiled at Frisk. “We have very important things to discuss.”

“In the Council we decide on important matters by majority vote,” Boon explained. He gathered papers and cleared his throat. “Usually, the seventh member does not vote unless there must be a tiebreaker, but since the seventh member no longer guards the barrier, we have chosen to include you.”

“Thank you,” Frisk said, which seemed to irritate most of the members. Gamut chuckled under her breath.

“So our first matter of business is what to do about Alcastle,” Boon continued. “Shall we continue to train children with strong determination in the ways of our magic?”

Frisk frowned and pondered the implications of training more sorcerers. Considering the fact that the current council would teach them that monsters were evil, Frisk decided to vote no. “All those in favor?” Chancellor said. Six hands raised into the air. “Against?” Only Frisk’s hand raised. “Passed.”

A foreboding feeling came over Frisk. They had invited her just to taunt her. Anything she tried to do didn’t matter. Frisk frowned and chewed on her lip. “I want to propose something,” She said before Boon could speak again. “I propose that only children sixteen years or older can be trained and they must agree to it rather than being kidnapped.”

Chancellor frowned at her. “It is a great honor for a child to be chosen for training,” He said. “But alright. All those in favor.” Frisk’s hand shot up. To Frisk’s surprise, Boon and Pip also raised their hands. With a wry smile, Gamut voted in favor as well. “Against.” Only three hands rose. “Fine, it passes.”

“Why would you vote for that?” Cavalier asked, glaring at Pip and Boon.

“Because a lot of children died the day of the Battle,” Pip replied. She clenched her hands together. “It was horrible!”

"I agree with Pip," Boon said. "It would be best for future generations of sorcerers to be older." Cavalier grumbled something under her breath and nodded. What was the Battle? Frisk wondered. She did not have time to ask because the voting continued right along.

 “I propose we rebuild the town,” Pip said. “If we work all summer, it’ll be nice again by winter. Then if we find new sorcerers to train they’ll actually have somewhere nice to live.” This motion passed unanimously.

“Why haven’t you rebuilt the town?” Frisk asked out of curiosity.

“We did a lot to rebuild the castle,” Boon said. “However, even with our magic we are limited in how much we could do. We spent months recovering from the Battle. Then, when the barrier was broken all of our progress was halted.”

Frowning, Frisk asked, “Halted? Why?”

“One of the conditions put in place was that if the barrier was broken the Council must devote every moment to observing and planning every possible outcome,” Chancellor explained. “If the monsters were peaceful, we were to act only as observers for seven years.” Frisk nodded slightly.

“It was so boring,” Cavalier said. She fiddled with her nails as she spoke. “I got so bored of watching Ebott, plus I had lots of other things I wanted to accomplish, but all that got put on hold.” With an exasperated sigh, she leaned on one hand and stared at Frisk. “Thanks for that.”

Frisk smiled back at her. “Since I’ll be around, I can help.”

Cavalier snorted and rolled her eyes. “There is that sickening peppy attitude again.”

“All those in favor?” Chancellor asked. All seven hands rose.

A quiet cough came from the other side of the table. Cavalier and Frisk glanced over at Kismet. “I have a proposal,” He said. Frisk studied his face. Like Pip, he had evidence of extreme trauma. A large scar crossed his face, rendering him blind. Frisk wondered what had happened.

“What is it?” Chancellor asked.

“I propose once our seventh member has lost her LOAD/SAVE ability, we eliminate the monsters,” Kismet said without emotion. Frisk stared at him with a shocked expression.

“All in favor?” Five hands rose without hesitation. Boon paused for a moment and looked considerate, before sighing and raising his hand as well. Frisk felt like she was going to be sick. The room seemed colder than before and as Frisk stared at the six other humans, they all stared at her with hardened looks. “Against?”

A loud screech sounded through the room as Frisk rose to her feet. “You can’t do that!” She yelled. “Why would you hurt them? They have done nothing to you!”

“You seem to have forgotten your precious monster friends killed six humans before you,” Cavalier said with ice in her voice.

“They didn’t have a choice!” Frisk said, shaking her head. “They thought the people who lived in Ebott had killed Asriel and Chara, the children of the royal family! You had cornered them and trapped them underground! A lot of the monsters were miserable there. It was a prison!”

“A prison for ruthless killers,” Pip said. Hoping that she could try to convince Boon, since he had hesitated, Frisk glanced over at him. He turned away, refusing to meet her gaze.

“You are quick to excuse murder,” Kismet said, shifting his head in her direction. Frisk stared back at him with a determined look. “It does not matter. The motion passes.”

“I can convince you,” Frisk said, holding out a hand. “If you just met them then-”

“You are wrong!” Kismet stood as well, his own chair screeching. “You are stupid to think those things are anything like us!”

“You have never met them!” Frisk yelled back. Her hands balled up into fists. “Monsters are just the same as us! Toriel and Asgore raised me. Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys are my closest friends. And Sans, I love him more than anything!” All of the Council members stared back with a surprised look. Chancellor frowned, glancing away from Frisk as if he was remembering something. “You could never understand what they are like without meeting them.”

A furious expression covered Kismet’s face. “You love a monster?” He mocked her. “You are such a fool!” As he raised his voice, the table trembled. “You are just like her! How pitiful and stupid!” Tears had gathered at the corners of his scarred over eyes. “I hate you!” One of the glass windows in the room exploded, causing everyone else to jump.

“Kismet! Control yourself,” Chancellor scolded.

“You are just like her,” Kismet sad to Frisk again with a dark laugh. 

Startled, Frisk just stared back in surprise. Kismet’s hands trembled as he clenched them. “Like who?” Frisk asked. Gamut stood as well and touched Kismet’s shoulder. He jerked away from her.

“I have no intention of staying in your presence any longer,” Kismet said, moving away from the table. “Is this meeting over?”

“Yes, you may-” Chancellor did not finish speaking before Kismet stormed out of the room. All eyes turned back to Frisk. “Thank you, you may go as well Frisk.”

With clenched hands, Frisk turned and left the room. The cloak fluttering around her shoulders made her feel sick. As she left, tears began to stream down her face. Footsteps followed her and Frisk glanced back to see Gamut. The elderly woman smiled at her. Frisk hesitated to call the look amiable. “Let me tell you a story child,” She said, walking over. “Come along.” Frisk nodded and wiped away her tears.

Together they walked through the ruins of the castle into the ruins of the town. “What happened here?” Frisk asked.

Gamut gave her a stern look. “Let me start from the beginning,” She said. “As long as we have existed, our seventh member was charged with guarding the barrier to the Underground.” Frisk nodded. She had learned that from Gaster’s journal. “Before you, that sorcerer was a woman named Moxie. I had never met a more powerful sorcerer. Chancellor trained her himself as soon as he realized she would soon replace him as the seventh member.” Gamut sighed and shook her head, stopping in the courtyard. “You justify the monsters’ actions as necessary so let me tell you this.” Her eyes grew cold. “Moxie did this. She killed one hundred and seventy-four sorcerers in this very town, including one member of the council. She nearly killed Pip and Kismet as well.”

Frisk’s eyes widened. “Why?”

“To protect the monsters,” Gamut said. “She murdered hundreds of her own people to protect them. After all, she knew she couldn’t convince us to spare them.” Frisk felt a cold chill in the air. “You could do the same. You could kill the six of us to protect them, considering we are the only danger left. It would be easy with the amount of determination you possess. Will you?”

“No, of course not!” Frisk said. “I can convince you, we don’t need to fight.”

Gamut chuckled and turned to walk back toward the castle. “We will see. Chancellor said Moxie tried to convince us before reloading and slaughtering us all.” Frisk stared after her with a heavy heart.

Sans refused to budge. Undyne glared at him, trying to figure out a way around. Every time she tried to get around the barrier, Sans would just summon another one. If Undyne broke the barrier, Sans replaced it. It infuriated her how much stronger he was. She couldn’t even fight him out right and disable him before moving along. One attempt of attacking him directly, ended in her being thrown back before she could even get close. Embarrassed, Undyne had no intentions of trying again. Before Undyne could come up with another plan to get through, she spotted Frisk walking toward them. Sans glanced toward her as well and the bone barrier disappeared. “Frisk!” Undyne yelled, stomping over to the girl. “What were you thinking?!” She spotted the cloak hanging around Frisk’s shoulders. “What the hell is this?”

“I’m sorry,” Frisk said. She stared at the ground and did not meet any of her friends’ gazes. She had failed them.

“WE ARE JUST GLAD YOU ARE ALRIGHT!” Papyrus said as he raced over and hugged Frisk. “DO NOT FEEL TOO BAD FOR RUNNING AWAY AND DECEIVING US!”

“Uh no,” Undyne said, glaring at Papyrus. “You should feel bad! You’re just lucky we were able to make up some ridiculous lie about where you ran off to so Toriel wouldn’t worry.” Frisk just nodded. Frowning, Undyne stared at her with a concerned look. “You aren’t going to say anything?”

When Frisk glanced up, she just smiled. “This isn’t over,” She said. “I’ll have to come back here. I need to convince them that they don’t need to be afraid of monsters. I guess since I’m a member of their council technically I have some power.” She took off the cloak and folded it up before placing it in the backseat of the car. “I need to make sure you are safe.” 

“A better plan would to be to pretend these sorcerers don’t exist and to never come back here again,” Undyne said. Frisk shook her head.

“They’re still a danger for all of you,” She said. “But they won’t kill me, not on purpose.”

Undyne sighed as Frisk walked over and hugged her once Papyrus let go. “Frisk?” She did not respond. “You okay?”

“I almost lost you,” She said.

A small, embarrassed smile spread across Undyne’s face. “Don’t worry,” She said. “I’ll never die.” After a moment’s hesitation, she hugged Frisk back. “Just do anything stupid, got it? Or at least include the rest of us.” Frisk nodded. “Ugh and we still have to drive all the way back to Ebott!”

“we could just take a shortcut,” Sans said.

“WHY DID YOU NOT JUST TELEPORT HERE BROTHER?” Papyrus asked, glancing at Sans.

“never been here before,” Sans replied. Papyrus nodded. “we should get going before the others miss us.”

Frisk was surprised that Sans could teleport both of the cars back to Ebott. They turned a corner and had suddenly appeared before Sans and Papyrus’ house. Frisk pulled into the driveway and sighed, leaning her head against the steering wheel. How could she convince the other sorcerers? She wondered. Everything that had been going on made her feel sick to her stomach. After she got out of the car, she faked a smile towards Papyrus, Sans, and Undyne. “I’ll see you guys later!” Then, she turned and ran down the street.

“WAIT!” Papyrus said. “WHAT ABOUT YOUR SUITCASE?” Frisk ignored him. Sans stared after her with a worried look, but did not say anything.

Frisk ran through the town until she was out of breath. Gasping, she bent over and put her hands on her knees. “Ohhh it’s Frisk! Hi, Frisk!”

“Hi, Frisk!”

When Frisk glanced up she saw Bratty and Catty before her. “What’s up girl?” Bratty asked with a huge smile. “You look beat.”

“Like super beat,” Catty said. “You must be, like, out on a run.” Both of the monsters made a disgusted face.

“Um, well I just thought I should stay in shape,” Frisk lied as she stood back up, still trying to catch her breath.

“Round is a shape,” Catty said and both she and Bratty giggled. Frisk felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. The two monsters before her would die if she couldn’t convince the Council to vote again. They had never hurt anyone.

“So, like, what are you up to these days?” Bratty asked. “I mean, Catty and I totally heard that-”

“You and Sans are a thing now,” Catty interrupted, leaning forward. Frisk blushed and laughed, rocking back and forth on her heels.

“Yeah, we-”

“Wow that’s so cute!” Both Bratty and Catty said, screaming in excitement.

Frisk just smiled back at them. “I should probably get going,” She said, not wanting to discuss her and Sans at the moment. She had much larger problems on her mind.

“Oh, alright!” Bratty said. “Like see you later!”

“Like, later and stuff!” Catty said. Frisk waved goodbye to them and then jogged away to give the impression that she had actually been running. After a while, she came to a walk and just stared around Ebott with a heavy heart. She wondered why the sorcerers hated monsters so much. Perhaps years of learning they were evil clouded all of their better judgement.

After walking without direction, Frisk reached the beach. She sighed and walked over to sit down on the sand. Scooping up a handful, Frisk watched as the sand filtered down through her fingers. She stared out at the ocean watching a group of monsters and humans surf together. “They’re so happy,” Frisk said, leaning her head against her knees as she pulled them up to her chest. “Everyone gets along so well. Why can’t they see that?”

Quiet barking startled Frisk. She glanced over to her right to see a small dog monster running toward her. “Frisk!” He barked. “Hello, Frisk!”

“Hello Dogiam,” Frisk said with a smile. She saw the Dogi off in the distance and waved at them. The young puppy before her was theirs. He had been born a few years after the monsters were freed.

“I’m collecting sea shells,” Dogiam said. He held out a bucket to show Frisk. “They smell funny!” With a tiny paw, Dogiam pulled one out and examined it. “The pretty ones smell the weirdest.”

“Really?” Frisk asked, laughing.

“You should have one!” Dogiam said and held out the seashell to her. It spiraled up into a cone shape.

“Thank you,” Frisk said. She reached out and took it from his paw. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. “That’s so sweet of you.” The puppy yelped in surprise as Frisk hugged him, squeezing hard. “Thank you!”

As Dogiam headed back to his parents, Frisk got up from the beach and sighed. She turned and headed back home as she tucked the seashell back into her pocket. On her way, she ran into Gerson. “Woah there!” He said, smiling at her. “What are you up to?”

“Oh not much,” She said with a smile. Gerson nodded and watched her with an odd look. “What?”

“I noticed someone awful suspicious at the celebration,” He said. “Asgore told me not to worry, but you know, I’d recognize the Sorcerer’s Rune anywhere.” Frisk felt her blood run cold. She gulped and fidgeted with her fingers. “You know, I’d appreciate if you let me in on the little secret.”

“You were around when the monsters were sealed away,” Frisk said. Gerson nodded.

“None of these others even had parents that were alive then. Wah ha ha!” Gerson said and then sighed and glanced over at Frisk. “They don’t know about the war. The worst baddies we had down in the Underground weren’t nothing compared to what we faced in the war.”

“You don’t need to worry,” Frisk said, leaning forward as she spoke. “I’m taking care of it. I just need to convince the sorcerers not to hurt anyone. While I’m around they won’t be able to touch any of you.” She gave him a confident smile. “So please don’t worry Gerson.”

The tortoise monster nodded and scratched his chin. “Let me just let you in on one thing,” Gerson said. “Even back then, those sorcerers hated us with a passion. They were jealous.” He shrugged. “Monsters are all magic, so we were better at it than them. Their brute force might be stronger, but they lacked versatility. Maybe it would be beneficial to teach the sorcerers a thing or two about how to really use magic.”

“What do you mean?” Frisk asked with a confused look.

“They think too much,” Gerson said with a wave of his hand. “They claim we let our emotions rule us, but they don’t let any emotion in. Show them a good time. Show them how to feel and that’s how you’ll convince ‘em.” Frisk considered the sentiment and nodded. “We all got our trust in you Frisk.” Gerson placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re that pretty winged circle after all. Wah ha ha!” Frisk blushed.

“See you later,” She said, waving to Gerson as he limped away on his cane.

With a confident smile, Frisk hurried home. Her suitcase sat on the front doorstep with the cloak still folded and sitting on top. A small note sat on it as well. “ _don’t try to carry the weight of the world by yourself_ ,” It read in Sans’ messy handwriting. Frisk smiled and tucked the note into her pocket with the seashell.


	7. Chapter 7

“teleporting’s a piece of cake,” Sans told Frisk as they walked in the forest by Mt. Ebott. The day after going the meeting with the sorcerer’s Frisk had explained her plan to Sans and asked for his help to teach her to teleport.

Nodding, Frisk focused and then hurried around a corner. Nothing happened. Frustrated, she paced backwards and went another way imagining her home in front of her. Again, she failed and just turned the corner to find more forest in front of her. “I don’t think it’s that simple,” She said with a sigh.

“eh, maybe you’re not lazy enough,” Sans said, walking up behind her.

“Lazy enough?” She asked with a puzzled look. Sans just nodded.

“don’t try too hard,” He said. Frisk turned and stared at the trees. She strolled through them and then turned a corner. Startled, Frisk found her house right in front of her. She grinned. “see?” Sans said as he appeared next to her. “easy.”

“Right,” Frisk said. Her hands began to tremble. “Now I really have to do this huh?” She glanced over at Sans. “Do you think I’ll be able to convince them?”

“probably,” He said with a shrug. “so far you’ve been able to do pretty much everything.” Frisk just nodded. “listen, frisk. no one will blame you if you don’t go back there ever again.” She shook her head.

“I have to.” She straightened up and walked over to the house, picking up the cloak she had hung on the doorknob. It rippled and flowed around her as she put it on.

When Frisk had told the others about her plans, they had all protested vehemently. Only Sans thought it was a good idea. The others all insisted that someone should go with her, while Sans agreed that it would be best for her to go alone. “you’re great at making friends,” Sans said, walking over to her. Frisk smiled and leaned down to kiss him.

“Wish me luck,” Frisk said, heading off toward the street.

“you don’t need it,” Sans said with a shrug. A moment later Frisk had disappeared.

Back in Alcastle, Frisk glanced around the town before heading up the stairs of the castle. She pushed open the big door and peeked inside. Since she had last been there the torn and burnt tapestries and rugs had been moved out of the corridor. Judging by the lack of soot on the floor, it looked like the sorcerers had mopped. Frisk stepped inside and closed the door behind her. As she strolled through the hall, she peeked into several of the rooms. There was a huge library behind one door and some sort of storage room behind another. She continued down the hallway until she spotted Pip. The sorcerer was hanging a refurbished tapestry on the wall. “Hi Pip!”

Startled, Pip turned to stare at Frisk. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to help rebuild everything,” She said.

“Why?” Pip asked, narrowing her eyes at Frisk.

“I’m a member of the Council right?” Frisk replied, stepping forward. “So it’s my job right?”

“I guess?” Pip said, a bit unsure. “No one expected you to ever come back here.” Frisk just shook her head and walked over to help hold the tapestry as Pip fastened it to the wall.

“I want to be your friend,” Frisk said.

Pip laughed and rolled her eyes. “So that’s your angle huh?” She said, climbing down from the ladder. Positioning her hands to form a square, she judged how even the tapestry was. “Become our friend so we’ll spare the monsters?” Frisk just continued to smile at her. “Well, I guess you can try.” Glancing back over, Pip smiled back. “Sure, I’ll entertain you for a while.”

For the rest of the day, Frisk helped Pip put up repaired tapestries, mop the floors, and even sew some tapestries back together. The main corridor began to look much more presentable. Halfway through the day, they took a break for lunch. Pip led Frisk to the kitchen. Boon and Gamut were there already, chatting as they ate lunch. “Hello,” Frisk said to them. They both looked surprised to see her.

“She’s been here all morning helping out,” Pip said. “Truthfully, she’s pretty useful. Her levitation magic makes hanging tapestries much easier!” The sorcerer grabbed an apple and took a bite out of it.

“Levitation magic?” Boon asked, perking up. “I could never master levitation.”

“Oh it’s pretty easy,” Frisk said. Her right eye glowed as she lifted an apple and moved it to her. The sorcerers looked alarmed rather than impressed. “What?”

“That’s the monster magic,” Gamut said, eyeing her. “Cavalier mentioned you had some.” Embarrassed, Frisk just shrugged. “Can you even use normal human magic?”

“Well,” Frisk said and held out her right hand again. Her eye still glowed as she summoned the shield. “I wasn’t able to until after I got the monster magic, besides SAVE and LOAD at least.”

Gamut nodded and leaned back in her chair, pondering the implications. "Perhaps it is because you were not trained," She said, glancing over at Boon and Pip. "It's hard to learn without the proper training."

As Frisk sat down, she examined the sorcerers a bit more. While they talked they spoke about castle restorations or magic lessons or other study oriented things. They did not talk much about themselves or even seem to joke amongst themselves. Frisk chewed on her apple, wondering if what Gerson said had been true. After they finished eating, Pip and Frisk headed back to work.

For a few days, Frisk continued to come and help at the castle. Both her and Pip managed to get most of the tapestries restored and replaced. All of the sorcerers were curt with her and did not spend much time talking to her besides Pip. Kismet avoided Frisk all together. As they sat eating lunch, Pip asked Frisk, “Why do you have so many different clothes?”

Frisk glanced down at her jean shorts and white t-shirt that had a rainbow on it. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you have so many different colors and fabrics,” Pip said. She gestured to her own clothes under her cloak. She wore a plain black shirt and pants. “All my clothes are the same. It eliminates all the choices you have to make about what to wear.”

“It’s a way to express yourself,” Frisk said. “Like if you’re going to a fancy party or something like that.” Pip leaned forward on her hands. “A lot of my clothes are presents from my friends too. They make great gifts.” She gestured to the shirt.  “My mom got me this shirt for Christmas. Whenever I wear it I can think of her.” Pip frowned, not quite understanding.

“Seems like a lot of effort,” Pip said, shrugging. “Too much effort.”

After a few moments of silence, Frisk spoke up again. “Can I ask you something?” She said. Pip nodded. “Will you come to Ebott with me?”

Startled, Pip’s eyes widened and she said, “What? Why?”

“We’ve gotten a lot of work done today, maybe we could relax,” Frisk said. “What do you think?” Pip poked at her lunch with her fork for a few moments. “It could be fun. Maybe, just give it a chance?”

“I suppose I’ve never actually been there,” Pip said. “And I’ve never met any monsters so it would be a good learning experience.” Frisk nodded. “Alright, let’s go. I haven’t left this castle in forever!”

Together Frisk and Pip headed out of the castle and back to Ebott. Frisk led the way through a shortcut to her house. Pip glanced around, taking in the sight. Frisk leapt up the stairs and opened the door. “This is where I live!” She said, gesturing for the sorcerer to come in. “I live her with my mom, Toriel.” Frisk walked over to the fireplace as Pip examined the books on the bookshelf. “Here’s all of us.” Pip turned to look at a picture on the mantle. Frisk gestured to each monster. “This is Mom, me of course, this is Asgore, Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, and Alphys!”

“I guess they do have names huh,” Pip said, examining each face. “Boon never told us their names. I guess we heard them in passing, but you know?” Pip glanced at Frisk, looking embarrassed. “They’re just monsters.” Her tone didn’t seem as confident as before.

“I can show you around town,” Frisk said as she pulled off her cloak. She folded it up and placed it on the side table by the couch. “Could you just take off your cloak, maybe?”

Pip glanced at her cloak. “Why?” She asked.

“The Sorcerer’s Rune on it might frighten some of the monsters,” Frisk explained.

Rolling her eyes, Pip took off her cloak and tossed it onto the couch. Without the cloak covering her arms and shoulders, Frisk could see more of her burn scars. They covered almost all of her skin all over her body. Feeling self-conscious, Pip tugged at the sleeve of her shirt, trying to pull it down more. “I don’t like this,” She said. “I feel exposed.”

“Don’t worry,” Frisk said, walking toward the door. “I promise you’ll have lots of fun today.”

Together they headed out into Ebott. As they strolled through downtown, passing monsters and humans alike greeted Frisk. Pip seemed a bit surprised at how friendly everyone was. “You’re a real celebrity,” She said to Frisk, who blushed and shook her head.

“I know we just ate,” Frisk said. “But this is the best place in town to get some fries!” Frisk pushed open the door to the restaurant. She had already texted Sans to let him know they were on their way.

Several people glanced as Frisk walked in with Pip. A chorus of hellos rang out through the restaurant as Frisk walked over to a table. Sans glanced up at her and Pip. “hey,” He said to Pip, standing up and holding out a hand. “nice to meet ya. i’m sans. sans the skeleton.” Pip stared at his outstretched hand with a wary look. Sans rolled his eyes. “you’re supposed to shake hands when you meet someone new.”

“I know that,” Pip said, bristling. She grabbed Sans hand and jumped when the electric buzzer shocked her. Sans just chuckled, while Frisk glared at him. “What was that?!” Pip said, backing away and clutching her hand with a pained expression.

“don’t you sorcerer’s have pranks?” Sans asked, showing his left hand. “it’s electrifying to meet a new person after all.”

To Frisk’s surprise, Pip smiled and burst out laughing. “That’s so lame!” She said between fits of laughter. Frisk and Sans exchanged a confused look. After a moment, Pip composed herself, smoothing out her hair and clothes. “Sorry,” She said, blushing. “Uh, I haven’t laughed like that in a while.”

Frisk’s eyes lit up in delight. She thought Sans had ruined it with the prank, but it seemed as though he had planned better than she had. She laid a gentle hand on Pip's back and pushed her towards the booth. “Let’s get some fries then! You’ll love them!”

“You really are peppy,” Pip said, staring at Frisk. Sans sat back down across from them. “No wonder you annoyed Cavalier so much. She’s such a downer.” Pip leaned on one hand on the table. She winked at Frisk. “I like it though. Everyone is always so serious at Alcastle. You’re a bright ray of sunshine.” Sans grinned, leaning back in his seat while Frisk blushed. “I hate to admit it, but I liked watching your speeches.” After a moment, Pip added, “Even if they’re all a naïve child’s dream. I mean, monsters aren’t like us after all.” Sans’ expression darkened.

Before Frisk could reply, she heard a cheerful voice say, “Hi Frisk! Hi Sans! I’ve brought your fries!” Fuku Fire stood before them with a wide smile. Frisk froze in surprise. She had forgotten that the monster came in on some days to help her father. She shot a look at Pip, who sat frozen in fear.

“Thanks Fuku!” Frisk said as the monster set down the fries.

“Who’s your new friend?” Fuku asked, glancing over at Pip.

“You’re made of fire.” Pip stared at her with wide eyes as her hands shook. Embarrassed, Pip clenched them together and hid them under the table. Fuku nodded, smiling and holding the serving tray to her chest. “How?”

“Well, all of us monsters are just made of magic, so we could be made of anything,” Fuku said with a smile. She stepped backward. “I take it you don’t like fire?” Her eyes drifted over Pip’s scars. With a gulp, Pip tore her eyes away and stared at the table. She did not reply.

Frisk mouthed an apology to Fuku, who just nodded and hurried away. “Do you want to try some fries?” Frisk asked, pushing a plate toward Pip.

The sorcerer hesitated before taking a fry and eating it. Her face lit up in delight. “Wow! These are great!” Frisk breathed a sigh of relief as she gobbled them down. “We never have food as great as this at Alcastle. Chancellor just goes on and on about how unhealthy it is and whatnot.”

“that’s what makes it good,” Sans said, eating a fry himself. Pip stared at him. “what?”

“Monsters can eat?” She asked. Sans rolled his eyes.

“course we can,” He said. “this is monster food."

Surprised, Pip stared down at her food. “Oh,” She said. “Well, it’s still good.”

"your years of surveillance must have been pretty lazy," Sans said, shaking his head. "geez."

As they ate, Pip watched Sans and Frisk with a curious look. She already knew from surveillance, which had not always been the best, that the two of them were remarkably close. When Sans had finished his fries, he snatched one from Frisk who protested and kicked him under the table. That led to laughter and a brief foot battle. Pip felt an empty feeling come over her. No one ever goofed around at Alcastle. Everything was all business. Even the occasional joke was frowned upon.

“Ready to go?” Frisk asked, snapping Pip out of her thoughts.

“Sure,” She said, shrugging.

As the three of them strolled through town, Pip glanced around and took in all the sights. Everyone seemed genuinely happy. Monsters and humans had perfected living together. There were shops owned by humans, monsters, or both. Monster children and human children ran together in the street playing. Frisk introduced Pip to monsters and humans alike. The longer they walked around, the guiltier Pip felt. Had everything the Council had taught her been a lie?

“And this is Scarf Mouse and Nacarat Jester’s shop,” Frisk said, pointing out a clothing store. Pip glanced through the window and her heart leapt.

“Oh my god!” Pip exclaimed, racing over to stare in the window. “That hat!”

On a stand near the window sat a large purple hat with a white flower tied around the middle. “What about it?” Frisk asked.

Embarrassed, Pip spun around to hide her smile. “Before I had to go join the Sorcerer’s Guild I lived with my mother,” She said. “She used to wear such pretty hats like that. It’s one of the few memories I have of her. Stupid right?” She laughed it off, but turned back to stare at the hat.

“I’ll get it for you,” Frisk said. She grabbed Pip’s hand and dragged her inside.

“What?” She exclaimed. “I’m not a child! You don’t have to purchase things for me!”

“Hey Frisk,” A small mouse monster, Scarf Mouse, said from behind the counter.

As Frisk chatted with her, Pip walked around the shop, eyeing all the different fabrics and hats. She picked up the purple hat and placed it on her head before turning to stare in the mirror. It looked awkward with her hair up in a bun. Hesitantly, Pip reached up and pulled the bun free. Her hair tumbled down around her shoulders. “Wow,” Another monster, who must have been Nacarat Jester, said, surprising Pip. “You’re really pretty! That hat suits you.”

“Re-Really?” Pip said, blushing. She stared in the mirror at her scarred face. “I’m not really.”

“I think so,” Nacarat Jester said, walking over. She grabbed a purple dress from another rack. It had a black belt and white flowers trailing over the bottom. “You should try this with it.” Shooting Nacarat Jester a skeptical look, Pip reached out and took the dress.

Once Pip put it on, she couldn’t believe how good she looked. With the hat perched on her head, she twirled on her heel. She had removed her heavy black boots in exchange for white tennis shoes. “That looks great!” Frisk said. “See, this is why a lot of people like to wear different clothes.” A huge smile leapt to Pip’s face.

“Can I try on more?” She asked, grabbing Nacarat Jester’s hands. “This is so cool! I’ve never gotten to do anything like this.” Delighted, she danced around. A few other dresses and hats rose in the air as Pip spun. She paused and stared at them, before moving her hands. They moved with her movements.

“That’s levitation magic,” Frisk said. “I thought you couldn’t use that.”

“I couldn’t,” Pip said, pulling the dresses to her. Both Scarf Mouse and Nacarat Jester looked startled, but Sans whispered something to them and they looked a bit more relieved.

“you all try too hard,” Sans said from his spot on a stool near the cash register. “you treat it as something distant instead of something that’s apart of you.” Pip considered this as she let the dresses fall into her arms.

“Huh,” Pip said. “I was taught all my life to treat it with careful regard. That it was dangerous if left unchecked. That’s why we always take so much care to distance ourselves from our magic.”

“That may not be a good thing,” Frisk said. Pip just nodded and turned back to face the others. “Were you still going to try on all the dresses?”

“Of course!” Pip exclaimed.

By the time Pip had grown tired of trying on dresses and hats, Frisk had bought almost the entire shop. Bouncing as she walked down the street in her new purple dress and hat with several bags in her hands, Pip stared around at Ebott with a smile. They headed to the park next. Thunder boomed in the distance. “Uh oh,” Frisk said, glancing up at the sky. “It might rain.”

The first few raindrops began to fall from the sky. “Oh no!” Pip exclaimed. “What about my hat?” She then heard the quiet sound of an umbrella opening.

“I always have to carry one with me.” Pip turned to see the fire monster from earlier in the day. She stiffened, but choose not to say anything. “We could share.”

The rain began to pour. Pip nodded. “Sure,” She said, pursing her lips.

“hey frisk,” Sans said, glancing up at Frisk with a smirk. “why’d the skeleton get sick after the rainstorm?” Frisk smiled, holding a hand out to feel the rain on her skin. The drops of warm rain felt soothing against her bare skin.

“Why?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“cause he got soaked to the bone,” Sans said and they both laughed.

Thunder sounded again. It was the perfect summer rain. Frisk took Sans’ hands in hers and together they ran off through the rain, spinning and dancing. As puddles began to form, Frisk splashed through them, throwing the water at Sans. “What falls but never gets hurt?”

“obviously it’s rain,” Sans said, kicking some water back towards Frisk who giggled.

“Aren’t you miserable?” Pip called out to them. She stuck close to the cover of Fuku's umbrella.                                                 

“Playing in the rain is fun,” Frisk said. Pip raised an eyebrow at her. How could it be fun to get soaked in cold water? She continued to watch Sans and Frisk with a confused expression.

Throughout the day Pip had begun to see how completely and utterly in love they were. Even when there had been more sorcerers back before the Battle, Pip had never seen any two people so happy together. No wonder Frisk had gotten so upset when they voted to kill all the monsters once she had lost her LOAD/SAVE magic. Trembling, Pip tightened her grip on the bags in her hands.

“what did the lightning bolt say to the other lightning bolt?” Sans asked, grinning at Frisk.

Giggling, Frisk splashed him with some water and said, “You’re shocking! Knock knock!”

“who’s there?”

“Lettuce.”

“lettuce who?”

“Lettuce us in, it’s raining out!”

Sans chuckled. “good one,” He said and reached up to smooth Frisk’s rain plastered hair out of her eyes. She smiled and caught his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. “you know it’ll probably stop raining soon,” He said, giving her a sweet look.

“Why’s that?” Frisk asked.

“cause your smile can chase away any storm,” Sans said, blushing a little. Frisk’s own cheeks turned red.

The two of them seemed to forget that Pip and Fuku were also there as Frisk leaned down and kissed Sans, squeezing his hand. As the rain poured down it seemed like they just noticed each other. When Frisk pulled away, she leaned her forehead against Sans' and said something that Pip couldn't hear. Sans replied, pulling Frisk into a hug.

Pip had expected to feel something much different as she watched them. Instead of feeling disgusted, she felt a warm feeling followed by overwhelming guilt. Pip didn’t notice that she had begun to cry before Fuku asked, “What’s wrong?” The monster stared at Pip with a concerned look.

“I’m horrible,” Pip said, sniffing. “How could I have ever used to think that all of this wasn’t possible? That Ebott wasn’t possible.” Her sobs grew louder as tears streamed down her cheeks. Fuku brushed a few tears away. As they hit her, steam appeared. “What are you doing? Doesn’t that hurt?” Pip asked.

“I’m fine,” Fuku said. “I mean, you need a friend right now.” The flames that composed the monster’s skin did not burn Pip’s skin. They were warm, but did not hurt. Pip sniffed and nodded.

"You’re all so wonderful,” She said with a quiet laugh. “I was so wrong!” Fuku frowned with a confused look, but did not say anything. “I’m glad I met so many wonderful people today!” 

Once Frisk noticed Pip had been crying she rushed over. The older woman insisted that it was nothing. Frisk nodded and then they began to head back to Frisk’s house in the rain. Fuku walked back with them, so Pip’s new hats and clothes didn’t get wet and then said goodbye once they were safe by the front door of Frisk’s house. Frisk fumbled with her keys and pushed open the door. She opened one of the closets and pulled out a few towels, handing one to Sans. She threw one over her own head and dried her hair. “Thank you for today,” Pip said. Frisk glanced at her and smiled. “I learned a lot from everyone here.” Pip smiled back at Frisk. “If you call for a revote of Kismet’s proposal, I’ll vote against it. I’ll try to convince the others too!”

“You have no idea how much that means to me!” Frisk said, almost hugging Pip before she realized she was soaking wet. With an embarrassed grin, Frisk wrapped the towel around her shoulders.

Pip picked up her cloak from the couch and put it back on. “I think I do after today,” Pip replied, glancing between Frisk and Sans. “Can I borrow an umbrella?” She asked and Frisk nodded, handing one to her. “See you later.” Then to Frisk and Sans’ surprise, Pip turned to Sans. “It was nice to meet you.”

“same,” Sans said with an amazed expression. The sorcerer nodded and then headed out into the rain, disappearing around a corner.

 


	8. Chapter 8

When Pip returned to her room, she hung up her new clothes and stood back to admire them. She almost didn’t notice when Cavalier came in. “What the hell are those?” Cavalier asked, staring at Pip’s closet. Pip whirled around, hair bouncing as she beamed at Cavalier.

“Aren’t they pretty?” She asked. “I got them from Ebott.” Cavalier made a face as she eyed Pip’s loose hair and new clothes. “What? Are you scared all the color will drown out your pessimism?” Pip jumped up on the bed and pronounced in a mocking tone, “Oh I’m Cavalier and my room must be dark and brooding like me.” Laughing, Pip hopped up and down on the bed and then fell back onto the pillows.

Cavalier stared at Pip, stunned. “What has gotten into you?” She asked. “You’re acting like a child.”

Grinning, Pip sat up. “Yeah,” She said and leapt to her feet. With a flick of her wrist, she threw open the curtains and windows. As she moved, items in the room began to move to her will. Pillows and candles floated up, creating a strange scene.

Cavalier stared with wide eyes. “How are you doing that?” She asked. “Did that child teach you?”

“Frisk taught me that we’ve been living all wrong,” Pip said, placing the items back. “Magic isn’t something to be afraid of. I feel so much stronger!” She hopped down off the bed, cloak fluttering around her ankles. “You have to change your vote Cavalier! Kismet is wrong.”

"You have been brainwashed,” Cavalier said, pushing past Pip. She closed the windows and drew the curtains back into place. “Have you forgotten what Moxie did to you?” Cavalier turned and grabbed Pip’s wrist, yanking her arm out of the cloak's cover. “Have you looked in a mirror lately?” Cavalier gestured to the burn scars.

Irritated, Pip pulled her arm away. “The atrocities Moxie committed has nothing to do with the monsters,” She said. “Moxie acted of her-”

“Are you really sure about that?” Cavalier said, shaking her head.

Pip frowned and glanced down, rubbing at her wrist. "I am!” Pip said. “Everyone I met was so nice.” Cavalier rolled her eyes. “Besides, we all know why Moxie did it.” Pip walked over to Cavalier’s desk and threw open a drawer.

“Hey!” Cavalier protested. “Don’t go through my stuff!” Pip pulled out a thick journal and tossed it at Cavalier, who caught it with ease. The journal had been recovered from Moxie’s camp at Mt. Ebott. In an attempt to hide whatever had been there, Moxie had set her camp on fire. Only bits of the journal remained and Cavalier had spent years transcribing it. Pip crossed her arms and glared at Cavalier.

"The last page," Pip said with an insistent hand gesture. Cavalier rolled her eyes and opened the journal.

" 'I know what I need to do. I need to convince the others that monsters are not dangerous,' " Cavalier read in an annoyed tone. " 'It’s all their fault. It’s all their fault Gaster is dead.’ ” With a sigh, Cavalier glanced up at Pip. “I suppose,” She said, snapping the journal shut. She walked over and placed it back in her drawer. “Just don’t destroy the whole castle with your careless magic.” With that said, Cavalier left the room again.

When Frisk returned the next day, Boon approached her. “Pip spent most of the night telling me about Ebott,” He said, glancing at Frisk with a nervous smile.

“Do you want to go there too?” Frisk asked. Boon nodded.

“Pip’s magic has grown quite stronger since she spent the day with you,” He said, keeping his voice low. “I would be interested in finding out exactly why.”

“I already told you why!” Pip’s voice sounded off from down the corridor. She ran up to them, wearing a t-shirt and skirt she had gotten from Ebott along with her cloak. Like before, her hair was done rather than up in a bun. “We were taught wrong our entire lives!” Boon glanced at her with an unsure look.

“Perhaps,” He said, adjusting his glasses. As he moved, Frisk noticed his sleeve slip back and reveal several burn scars. She stared for a moment, wondering more about what had happened the night Moxie had attacked Alcastle.

This time Frisk led Pip and Boon down the neighborhood for a while first. She waved to monsters and humans alike. The whole time Boon took notes on his notepad. Frisk glanced back at him. “What are you doing?” She asked. He glanced at her and smiled.

“Why taking notes of course,” He said. “If you really plan to convince the other members of the Council, you need solid proof of your success.” Frisk just nodded. They turned the corner to walk into town, when the sound of a piano playing drifted out from one of the homes. Boon stopped dead in his tracks and looked toward the noise.

Pip glanced over at him and smiled. “He won’t admit it,” Pip said quiet enough that Boon could not hear. “But he really loves the piano. We used to have one in Alcastle.”

“Really?” Frisk asked.                        

Pip nodded. The corners of her mouth twisted down, creating a sad smile. “There was one in the large common house,” She said. “When I was a little girl and had just come to Alcastle, everyone would gather there to hear the older children play it.” She nodded to Boon. “Out of everyone Boon could play it the best. His parents owned a music shop.”

“That’s Undyne and Alphys’ house,” Frisk said, raising her voice so Boon could hear. “Maybe Undyne would let you play with her.” Boon glanced back at Frisk with an unsure look.

“I haven’t played the piano in years,” He said about to refuse the offer, but Frisk had already began to run up the pathway. Pip followed her and Boon sighed before also following them up the stairs.

Frisk knocked on the door. She glanced back at Pip and Boon with an uncertain look. She hoped that Undyne would not realize they were sorcerers. The door opened and Undyne grinned at Frisk. “Hey,” She said. “What are you up to?” She glanced over at the two sorcerers and stiffened. “Oh. That’s what you’re up to.” Gritting her teeth, Undyne glared at them.

“Uh,” Frisk said, worried. “This is Pip and Boon.” Undyne continued to glare. “They’re uh Boon really likes the piano!”

“What I-” Boon began to say, blushing.

“Maybe you could play with him?” Frisk added with a huge pleading smile. “It would be lots of fun! Right Undyne? Please!”

Without saying anything, Undyne turned on her heels and walked inside. Frisk shot a nervous smile at Pip and Boon, who both looked worried. As they entered, both Pip and Boon glanced around the house. Several pictures sat on the table beside the couch and a huge sword hung over the mantle. A large grand piano sat off to the side. Boon stared at it and walked over to it with a huge smile. Undyne still seemed a bit wary and watched him. “This is a gorgeous piano,” Boon said.

“Yeah,” Undyne said. “I had a better one, but then Frisk burned my house down.”

“I did not!” Frisk protested as Pip and Boon shot her a confused look. "That was your fault!"

“Listen here sorcerer,” Undyne said, ignoring Frisk and speaking to Boon as he sat down at the piano bench. She slammed her hand down on the piano, making him jump. Pip flinched and Frisk noticed her hand twitch as if she was about to summon a weapon. Panicked, Frisk stepped forward. She would need to intervene if anything bad happened. “Frisk might trust all of you, but I’m still not sure. After all you did just threaten to kill all of us.”

“That was Cavalier,” Boon said, shaking his head. “Pip and I-”

“Uh huh,” Undyne said, pretty much growling. She sat down at the bench as well and began to play the piano again, ignoring Boon for the moment. Frisk sighed. Her idea had backfired. As Undyne played, Boon listened for a few moments then also moved his hands to the keys.

“That’s quite good,” Boon complimented her.

When Boon began to play as well, Undyne shot him a surprised look. She had just been improvising a song, but Boon managed to match the notes to form a beautiful duet. “Gotta say,” She said shooting him a softer look. “I’m surprised.” She picked up the pace, launching into another song. For a moment, Boon struggled to keep up with her but then fell into the melody again.

Frisk breathed a sigh of relief. Boon seemed even more willing to accept monsters than Pip had. It could have been because Pip had already spent a lot of time convincing him or maybe he just acted more rationally. Pip hummed along to the song as she eyed the large sword above the mantle. “Undyne used to lead the Royal Guard,” Frisk said. “She’s a really good fighter.” As Frisk spoke, the phantom pain of a spear through her chest rose from her memories. Wincing, she clutched at her chest. “But-But there’s no need for that anymore!”

Pip just nodded and walked over to examine the pictures. Frisk followed her and watched as Pip picked up one of Undyne and Alphys to look at it closer. "Cute," She said. Frisk nodded in agreement. Pip set the photo down and walked over to the piano. She smiled at Boon. “You pick it right back up quick huh?” Boon blushed and shook his head. Undyne stopped playing and glanced at Pip with narrow eyes.

“And what do you do?” She asked. “You have some hidden talent?”

“I’m pretty good with a spear,” Pip said. Panicked, Frisk waved her hands and raced over.

“We could see about that.” Undyne stood up abruptly, knocking the bench over. Boon yelped as he fell backwards. Undyne's blue spear appeared in her hand.

“Frisk said you used to be the leader of some Royal Guard so you must be pretty strong?” Pip said and summoned her own spear.

Wincing, Frisk wondered if even letting them spar was a good idea. Boon got up from the floor with an irritated sigh. “If you must spar,” He said. “Can’t you do it outside? Last time you and Cavalier sparred inside, the dining room was wrecked.”

After Boon’s suggestion, the four of them moved to the backyard. To Frisk’s relief, both Pip and Undyne kept the spar civil. She sat with Boon on the patio, drinking some tea. “So what do you think?”

“I think I should have trusted my instincts,” Boon said. Frisk frowned, sending him a confused look. “I suspected that something wasn’t quite right after the Barrier broke. Everything about Ebott went against the history books. Considering history books can be falsified it seemed logical that you were right.” He stared down at his own tea. “I shouldn’t have given into peer pressure.” Frisk nodded. She had noticed that Boon hesitated before voting. “Then again, I remembered the Battle so that affected my thinking, which was wrong.”

“Could you tell me about it?” Frisk asked. “I mean, Gamut kind of told me, but-”

“We all almost died,” Boon said. The bluntness of his response surprised Frisk. “Moxie would have killed us all given the chance. She only stopped because Chancellor nearly killed her. Though she could have LOADED if she really wanted to, I suppose. I did not witness her attempt at killing Kismet, but judging based on his wounds...” He trailed off and shook his head. “They had been engaged, but some things happened. Moxie befriended a monster and he died somehow. For some reason she blamed the sorcerers. All we could gather from the journal we found was that he died in an attempt to make monsters more powerful?”

“Yeah,” Frisk said. She glanced over at Boon and caught sight of a burn wound on his arm. “Your arm is burned?”

“Gamut, Cavalier, and I tried to rescue the other sorcerers while the rest of the Council tried to defeat Moxie,” Boon explained. “Cavalier and Gamut managed to summon a huge rainstorm, but it did not accomplish much in putting the fire out.” He sighed and took another sip of his tea. “I raced in a bit more foolishly. I only managed to save Pip.”

“I’m sorry that Moxie did that to you,” Frisk said, staring over at Pip and Undyne.

Boon just laughed. “You are nothing like her,” He said. “Don’t apologize for a lunatic’s mistakes.”

“Kismet disagrees,” Frisk said.

“Kismet would hate anyone who sided with monsters after what Moxie did,” Boon said. “He’s more similar to her than you are. They’re both very quick to emotion.”

Together Boon and Frisk watched Undyne and Pip spar together for a while. Before either of them said another word, two hands covered Frisk’s eyes from behind. “guess who?”

“Hi Sans!” Frisk grabbed his hands and leaned back to smile up at him. “You didn’t make that hard at all, you know.”

“wasn’t supposed to be,” Sans said and leaned down to kiss her. He glanced over at Boon. “you brought another one huh?”

“This is Boon,” Frisk said, shifting to smile over at Boon. Sans leaned his chin on the top of Frisk’s head, hugging her shoulders. "Boon, this is Sans."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Boon said with a small smile.

“They’re not actually fighting right?” Alphys said, walking over as well. She eyed Undyne and Pip nervously.

“No,” Frisk said, swinging her legs back and forth. “They just both seem really into sparring. Boon, this is Alphys.” Again, Boon smiled.

“Oh, uh nice to meet you,” Alphys said. She moved to the other side of Frisk, distancing herself from the sorcerer as she examined him with a nervous smile.                                                                           

While Frisk tried to encourage discussion between Boon and Alphys, Sans watched Undyne and Pip. He could remember the fight at Alcastle just as well as Frisk. He sighed and hugged Frisk a bit tighter, still scared of losing her. While she had done a great job convincing two of the sorcerers, there were still four more that might not listen to her. Especially not Kismet based on what Sans had learned from Gaster’s journal. Frisk glanced up at Sans with a concerned look. “it’s nothing,” Sans said, shaking his head. Frisk nodded. She didn’t look convinced.

“Hey Alphys!” Once Undyne noticed that Sans and Alphys had arrived, she raced over to them, snatching Alphys up and kissing her. Alphys blushed as Undyne set her back down. Panting heavily, Undyne grinned at her. “These sorcerers Frisk brought over are actually pretty cool. I was surprised.” Glancing back over at Pip, she said, “This has been great!” Pip grinned back, wiping sweat away from her forehead.

“so far,” Sans said with a sigh. He let go of Frisk and headed inside. Frisk stared after him and scrambled to her feet.

“Sans, what’s wrong?” She asked as she followed him inside.

“i’ve been reading gaster’s journal,” Sans said, glancing back at her. “and based on it, i think it’ll be much harder to convince the others. those two are much younger and they weren’t trained to hate monsters as much. plus, kismet has a very personal grudge against us.” Sans wondered if he should reveal all of what Gaster's journal had suggested. He decided against it for the time being. “gaster was in love with moxie and it seemed like she might have felt the same way.”

“Yeah,” Frisk said. “I figured that out. Kismet was engaged to Moxie and well, it obviously didn’t end well.” When she met Sans’ eyes, his expression looked analytical. Like he was examining all of her features. “What is it?”

“nothing.” Sans ripped his gaze away. “don’t worry about it.” Frisk frowned. Why was he lying to her?

“Frisk! Sans!” Undyne yelled from outside. “Stop making out or whatever the hell you’re doing and get back out here so we can play soccer!” Both Frisk and Sans blushed and Frisk whirled on her heels to walk back out. After a few moments, Sans followed her, shoving his hands in his pockets.    


	9. Chapter 9

“What do you think of Boon and Pip’s excursions to Ebott?” Cavalier and Gamut sat in the kitchen, talking over breakfast.

“Interesting for sure,” Gamut said. “Pip wouldn’t stop trying to convince me to change my vote for Kismet’s proposal.” The old woman took a bite of her apple and chewed thoughtfully. “Maybe I should go down to Ebott and check everything out as well.”

“Really?” Cavalier asked, shocked. “Why? We already know everything that we could possibly need to know. Those monsters and that city, they’re-they’re an abomination!” She slammed her hand down on the table, nearly knocking over Gamut’s water glass.

Gamut smiled at Cavalier and shook her head. “I don’t know anymore,” She said. “I was quite certain about my vote as well, until recently.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I suppose; we don’t have to decide for a while.”

Clenching her hands, Cavalier glared at her breakfast. Everything about Ebott was wrong. Everything that Frisk had done was wrong. “Fine,” Cavalier snapped. “Change your vote. Forget what Moxie did to us!”

“What Moxie did to us had nothing to do with Frisk,” Gamut said. A serious look crossed her face. “Should we really punish everyone for what one woman did?”

“Without those monsters, Moxie would never have-”

“You’re placing the blame on the wrong people,” Gamut said again, sipping her water. Cavalier sighed and glanced away.

“Maybe I am,” She said. “I just hate that the stupid little girl is right!”

Gamut nodded. “You do. I think that’s why Kismet wanted you to go to Ebott.” Gamut lowered her voice as she spoke. “His own anger fuels everything he does nowadays. He figured you would think the same way. Had he sent Boon or Pip or even me, we might have accepted what Frisk said much more easily.”

“Maybe I will examine Ebott again,” Cavalier said and rose to her feet. She ran a hand through her hair and flipped it back over her shoulder. “What does Chancellor think?” Gamut shrugged. “Yeah right, you know don’t you?”

“It’s not my place to say,” Gamut said. "He can share his opinions with you himself."

Cavalier rolled her eyes and left the kitchen. As she walked through the hallways of the castle, she glanced around at all of the renovations. Frisk had worked so hard to fix their home. Clenching her teeth, Cavalier rushed forward, heels clicking on the stone floor. As she turned the corner, she almost ran into Kismet. “Hey,” She said, stepping sideways to avoid running into him. “What are-”

“You’re going to Ebott, aren’t you?” Kismet interrupted. He moved his head toward where Cavalier stood. “You have all gone mad.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cavalier said. Her eyes traced the scars across Kismet’s face.

“I thought you would at least be reasonable,” Kismet said with a sigh. He stepped forward, forcing Cavalier to step back. “What justice is there in allowing Moxie to go unpunished?”

“We would be punishing innocent people,” Cavalier said. “I think I'm starting to get that now.”

“What an asinine idea,” Kismet said, shaking his head. “They are monsters.” Cavalier shrugged and glanced away.

“I want to look again,” Cavalier said. “Reexamine the evidence. Isn't that our job? We're supposed to be leaders and thinkers.” She pushed past Kismet, who grabbed her wrist.

“Cavalier,” He said, switching to a gentle tone and stepping closer to her. With his other hand, he brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “You know better right? Who took care of the rest of us after the Battle? You must understand how I feel? After all, your own sister died in that-”

“Don’t!” Cavalier pulled free and slapped Kismet’s hand away. Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. “Don’t!”

“What?” Kismet asked, shrugging. His lips curled into a malicious smile. “Afraid to speak of her? Paramour-”

“Shut up!” Cavalier grabbed him by the front of his shirt and shoved him against the wall. “You think you can manipulate me? Like you did with Moxie?” Kismet looked surprised. “Oh, like we all didn’t notice. Paramour told her all the time how you didn’t really care about her. We both saw how you used her like a pawn to get the power you wanted! I won’t let you use me too. Not anymore.” Cavalier let go of him and walked away. “I am making my own choices.”

A huge beach ball soared through the air. “Got it!” Pip knocked it back up before it hit the ground. She slid on the sand, laughing. The ball flew through the air over to Boon, who looked startled. “Get it Boon!” Rushing forward, Boon ran over and nudged the ball back into the air.

“Got it!” Undyne slammed the ball back down toward the ground and Frisk barely managed to hit it back up in time.

“You’re supposed to keep the ball in the air!” Frisk exclaimed with a sigh.

“What’s the point of this game?” Undyne said rolling her eyes. “Come on, I want to beat someone in a game not just work together!”

“BUILDING TEAMWORK IS IMPORTANT!” Papyrus said as he hit the ball over to Boon, who managed to hit it up higher than his previous attempt. “AND FUN! NYEH HEH HEH!”

The ball soared over toward Dogiam, who stared at it with a confused look. Dogaressa leaned over and hit it for him, sending it flying towards Alphys. “You have to hit the ball puppy!” She explained.

As the monsters and humans continued to play, Sans sat a little way away, reading Gaster’s journal. “ _I wish I could be there for her_ ,” The journal said. “ _Moxie deserves so much more than what life has given her. She seems so alone. The one human she thought had loved her turned on her. Perhaps it is irrational of me to hope injury comes to Kismet. I have never met him, although he seems to be everything I used to think humans were. Ruthless, conniving, power hungry, and callous.”_

Footsteps sounded from behind Sans. He glanced up and turned to see Cavalier walking over. She glared at him and he returned the antagonistic stare. “so you finally showed up again?” Sans asked. “planning on being nice to frisk this time around?”

“Should I take that as a threat?” Cavalier asked, crossing her arms.

“not unless you are planning to hurt her,” Sans said. “i guess you’ve had plenty of chance to though.” He shut the journal and tucked it into his jacket. “maybe we got off on the wrong foot.” Glancing at her, Sans smirked.

“I just want to see this for myself,” Cavalier said. “I have no intentions of becoming friends with you.” With that said, Cavalier waltzed over to the others on the beach.

“good,” Sans muttered, watching her with narrowed eyes. “neither do i.” 

The beach ball flew through the air again and Frisk managed to hit it moments before it hit the ground. “Hey Cavalier!” Pip said, waving to Cavalier who strode along the beach toward them.

“Cavalier, you came?” Boon asked, surprised. The beach ball flew over toward him and hit him on the head. “Oh! Oops.” It landed in the sand and rolled away. With an excited yip, Dogiam raced over to it and pushed it around.

“You two are acting like children,” Cavalier said with a bit of a frown.

“You should try it,” Pip said. “It’s fun not being so stuck up all the time.” Cavalier's frown turned to a scowl.   

“Hi Cavalier,” Frisk said, walking over. She smiled at Cavalier. “I’m glad you came.” The older woman frowned and glanced away. As she crossed her arms, she clenched down hard. “Let me introduce you to everyone!” Frisk dragged her over to the group of monsters.

Just like Frisk expected, Cavalier remained resistant to any friendliness. She played volleyball with them for a while, before just walking off and watching from the sidelines. She watched Frisk with an irritated look. How could she manage to be so happy all the time? Even when Cavalier had threatened to rip down everything Frisk had built, she managed to stay determined and happy. Cavalier sighed and stared down at her nails, picking at them.

“Dogiam?” One of the monsters called out. “Puppy? Where did you go?”

“Dogiam’s missing?” Frisk asked startled. Immediately, the volleyball game dissolved and all members spread out to search for the young monster. Cavalier frowned, glancing around the beach. Then in the distance, she saw a bobbing white figure in the ocean. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Help! Help!” The puppy screamed. He had wandered into the ocean and gotten sucked out by the waves.

“Dogiam!” The Dogi cried out. Frisk hurried over to the water, but Cavalier was faster. With startling speed, the older sorcerer dove into the water and swam out to Dogiam.

“I got you,” Cavalier said and reached out to grab the puppy’s paw. She pulled him over and then began to paddle back to shore.

The Dogi rushed up to her the moment she reached the beach. “Thank you! Thank you!” They chorused as Cavalier handed Dogiam to them.

“Uh.” She shrugged and glanced away “It was nothing.” Frisk sent her an approving smile.

As the sun began to set, Cavalier sat down on the hill, watching the others from afar. Sans joined them for one last game of volleyball. Though he seemed to be putting very little effort into it. As it got darker, the monsters and humans lit some torches. While they did so, Frisk walked over to Cavalier. “So what do you think?” She asked with a smile.

Cavalier shrugged. “I might have been wrong,” She said. Frisk sat down beside her. “This is not what I thought it would be like. Even when I was here before I was blinded by my own prejudices.”

“I figured,” Frisk said. “Pip and Boon seemed surprised as well.” Cavalier glanced over at Frisk. “Thank you for saving Dogiam. I was surprised that you rushed out like that.”

Cavalier shrugged again. “It was nothing.” When she glanced over at Frisk again, she was staring at Cavalier. “What?”

“Why did you?” She asked. “I thought you hated monsters.” Cavalier felt the gentle push of Frisk’s magic. It was soothing. No wonder everyone liked her so much. Her presence just exuded kindness.

“My sister almost drowned when she was a kid,” Cavalier said.

“Sister?” Frisk asked.

“Her name was Paramour,” Cavalier said and shifted, staring down at the grass. “I’m pretty sure the only reason my parents had her was to replace me, but then she had powerful determination as well.” Cavalier laughed. It sounded broken. “She was everything I wasn’t.” Frisk nodded, staring at Cavalier with an intent look. “We were pretty close despite our age difference. I mean, I would do anything for that stupid kid.” Her eyes burned, but Cavalier refused to cry. “She ended up being on the Council too.” Clenching her hands, Cavalier said quietly, “Moxie killed her in the Battle. They had been friends and Moxie just struck her down like it was nothing. Paramour-Paramour was the only one that was genuinely nice to Moxie, but she shut her out like the rest of us.” Shaking her head, Cavalier said, “The day Moxie left, they got into a huge fight. Paramour never told me what it was about, but as Moxie left I overheard her saying she never wanted to see my sister again. Moxie was always so damn sure that no one cared about her that she drove away the people that actually did care! God, she was so stupid!”

Shocked, Frisk reached out to touch Cavalier’s shoulder. At first Cavalier flinched, but when she glanced over at Frisk and saw the compassionate look on her face, she leaned into Frisk's comforting touch. “I’m sorry,” Frisk said and then hugged Cavalier. Surprised, Cavalier sat frozen for a moment and then hugged Frisk back.

“Can I ask something really dumb?” Cavalier said.

“Sure,” Frisk said.

“Can I see your SOUL?”

Frisk pulled back, startled. “My SOUL?”

“I’ll show you mine.” Before Frisk could say anything, Cavalier held her hands before her chest. After a few moments, a yellow heart appeared. Soft light bathed Cavalier and Frisk. “Did you know there’s seven different types of SOULs?” Cavalier glanced down at hers with a bitter look. “Mine’s yellow, supposedly it represents justice.”

Frisk raised her hands and after a moment of concentration her own red SOUL appeared. She stared down at in wonder. She had never realized she could just summon it at will. Cavalier looked surprised. “What?” Frisk asked.

“I thought for sure you’d have a green SOUL,” Cavalier said. Frisk glanced down at the fragile red heart between her hands. “Determination huh? I guess you are pretty determined.”

“Are we having an intimate moment over here?” Pip said, starling both Cavalier and Frisk. “Showing off our SOULs to one another?” Frisk blushed and let her SOUL disappear back inside her. Pip held out her own hands and Boon mimicked the motion. A purple SOUL appeared in front of Pip. “Perseverance,” Pip said. “If you were curious.”

A green SOUL appeared before Boon. Cavalier nodded approvingly. “Kindness?” Frisk guessed based on her conversation with Cavalier and Boon nodded. “How cool. I never knew the colors were meant to represent something.” Frisk smiled and twirled her thumbs around each other. “Determination huh? Do you guys often go around showing each other your SOULs?”

“It’s no big deal amongst friends,” Pip said with a shrug. She shifted her hands and her SOUL disappeared again. “Though I can see why it would be considered pretty intimate. I mean you’re exposing yourself. One good hit and you’re dead.” Frisk nodded as a small, thoughtful smile crossed her face. "I've even heard that if you really love someone and your SOULs touch there's music!" Cavalier rolled her eyes at the notion, but Pip beamed. "Now wouldn't that be adorable? I've never tried it though.” Blushing, Boon glanced at Pip and then looked away again, letting his own SOUL disappear. “It’s been fun Frisk, but I think we should head back.”

“See you again later,” Boon said, smiling. Cavalier rose to her feet.

“Later,” She said. Frisk watched the three of them leave with one hand on her chest. She glanced down, blushing as she considered the new information about SOULs.

Stars twinkled and the moon cast a soft white light down on the hill as Frisk dragged Sans away from the others. “were you planning on saying what you’re up to?” Sans asked once she stopped under a tree. Frisk spun around and smiled as a light blush spread across her cheeks. “you’re acting suspicious.”

“I wanted to show you something,” Frisk said, sitting down on the grass.

“okay, i’ll play along,” Sans said, sitting across from her. His eyes drifted to her hair, which had grown past her shoulders. “maybe your new hair? you haven’t cut it in a while.” Frisk rolled her eyes. “growing it out? looks cute, especially how it curls.” He shrugged, smirking. “but i’ve already noticed that.”

“Close your eyes,” Frisk said, blushing more. Sans rolled his eyes and then closed them. Frisk positioned her hands in front of her chest and then her SOUL appeared there. “Open them."

When Sans opened his eyes, he didn’t expect to see Frisk’s SOUL floating between her hands. His eyes widened in surprise. “uh, what are you doing?”

“Did you know you could show other people your SOUL?” Frisk asked. The red heart bathed the area in a soft light. “What do you think?”

Sans had seen Frisk’s SOUL before. He had seen it on the screen when they separated her and Chara. He had seen it broken and destroyed after killing her countless times. Back then, it looked dull and lifeless. Black haze had covered it, drowning out its brilliant red glow. At that moment, Frisk's SOUL pulsed and glowed with a brilliant light like something Sans had ever seen before. “it’s the soul thing i can think about at the moment.” Sans moved a bit closer and cupped his hands over Frisk’s.

“You’re a dork,” Frisk said as she laughed. Afraid to break the moment, Sans moved his hands back and then touched her SOUL. A spark of warmth shot through Frisk, bringing a huge smile to her face.

“huh,” Sans said. “it’s warm.” He moved his own hands to his chest. After a brief moment a white SOUL appeared between his hands. “it’s not as pretty as yours.” Both SOULs pulsed, sending out flashes of white and red light. After a few moments they synchronized, pulsing at the same time.

“I think its more beautiful than mine,” Frisk said with a soft smile. She glanced down at her SOUL and then back up at Sans'. She slid closer, moving so she could lean her forehead against Sans’. Their SOULs were inches apart and both of them hummed with magic. Frisk closed her eyes. She felt exposed, but it also felt so nice. Sans closed his eyes as well. “I love you,” Frisk whispered. “I love you so much.”

“nah,” Sans said back. “not possible. i love you more.”

The two SOULs touched for a brief moment and the humming grew louder. It began to sound a bit like music. Curious, Frisk shifted closer and the SOULs touched again. The resulting sound was a soothing song. “Oh,” Frisk said.

Just as surprised, Sans smile grew even more. “that’s neat.”

They lost track of the time as they sat there together. The song of their synchronized SOULs filled the space with quiet music, repeating over and over again with slight variation. In that moment, neither of them wanted to move away. After a long while, they both lowered their hands, letting their SOULs disappear back to where they had come from. The music disappeared along with it. Frisk leaned down and kissed Sans, wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back as he kissed back. The stars and moon continued to shine above them.   


	10. Chapter 10

When Frisk walked up the stairs to the tallest tower in the castle, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. Several days had passed since Cavalier’s visit to Ebott. Frisk had successfully convinced three of the Council members. She wondered if she should try to convince any more before calling for a revote of Kismet’s proposal. She walked in and was surprised to see everyone had already arrived. Frisk raced over to her seat next to Cavalier.

“Let’s make this quick,” Cavalier said with a yawn. “We don’t have anything to discuss anyway.”

“Now that Frisk has arrived, we should see if there are any new proposals,” Gamut said, leaning forward on her hands.

“I propose we revote on Kismet’s proposal!” Pip said, raising her hand up high. Frisk smiled at her and she grinned back.

Only Kismet looked surprised. “What?” He asked. His face twisted in anger. “Why? What justification do you have to call for a revote?”

“Because we voted before collecting sufficient knowledge about the topic,” Boon said.

“We had plenty of knowledge on the topic!” Kismet protested and glanced over at Chancellor.

The leader of the Council looked thoughtful for a few moments and then said, “All those in favor?” One hand rose. Scowling, Kismet shook from anger. “Against?” Frisk couldn’t believe it as everyone else raised their hands. Happiness welled up inside of Frisk. Tears came to her eyes. “We have changed our minds Frisk,” Chancellor said. “Kismet was wrong and you were right.”

Frisk began to cry, which startled the others. “Frisk?” Pip asked, leaning over the table. “What’s wrong?”

“No-Nothing,” Frisk said, wiping away her tears. “I’m just so happy!

“This is ridiculous,” Kismet hissed under his breath. He stood up, chair screeching. “You are all insane!” As he left the door slammed behind him.

Gamut sighed and shoved a basket of muffins over to Frisk. “Have one child,” She said. “They’re quite good.” Frisk stared at them in surprise. “What? Chancellor said we could expand our food selection.”

“We have been cooped up in Alcastle for too long,” Pip said, snatching up a muffin. “From now on, we’re going to train new sorcerers differently. We’re not going to be so strict. We’re going to all work together!”

It all seemed too good to be true. “I’m glad,” Frisk said. “That’s great!”

Staring at Gaster’s journal, Sans reread the passage again and again. He sighed and slammed the book shut. “i was right,” He said aloud to no one. Now that he knew for sure, he had to tell Frisk the truth. She needed to know. Then again, she wouldn’t be happy about it. Glancing at the clock, Sans wondered if he should wait until she got back from Alcastle. “no, i need to tell her now. i’ve waited too long already.”

As Frisk opened the door to leave the castle, she glanced around Alcastle with a huge smile. Knowing that she had succeeded in protecting all of her friends and made new ones along the way, she felt filled with determination. A light breeze fluffed up her hair as she stared out and SAVED. “It’s so pretty out,” Frisk said with a smile. Humming, Frisk hopped down the stairs and whistled a few notes of a song to herself as she walked forward. To her surprise, Sans came walking up the path. “Hey,” She said, smiling at him. “What’s up?”

Looking solemn he said, “i need to tell you something.”

Before Frisk could reply, she heard the quiet sound of arrows rushing through the air. She turned just in time to see the huge flurry of arrows shooting toward her and Sans. Too surprised to react in time to summon her shield, Frisk shoved Sans behind her and blocked him with her own body. All of the arrows sunk into her. Pain erupted throughout her entire body and droplets of blood flew from her, splattering the grass. Howling in pain, Frisk tumbled backwards.

“frisk!” Sans screamed as he caught her. “no! no!”

Blood poured out from the countless wounds. Shaking and struggling to stay conscious, Frisk turned her head in time to see Kismet walk out from the castle’s entrance. He looked unfazed. “Wh-Why?” Frisk asked, coughing up blood. Either Kismet did not hear her or he did not care enough to reply.

“it’s gonna be okay,” Sans said to her. He curled his hand around her cheek. “frisk, hey, hold on. it’s okay. it’s okay.” Tears streamed down his face. “don’t die. don’t leave me. don't do this again.” Frisk smiled up at him. Everything was covered in Frisk’s blood. As Sans pulled his hand back, Frisk saw the dark red of her blood staining the bright white of Sans’ hand. His hands shook as he stared down at her broken body. “frisk, don’t leave me.” The scene looked so familiar. She had just died in that courtyard a few weeks earlier. As she lay there covered in arrows it reminded Sans of the countless battles in the Judgement Hall. Even then, Frisk did not look nearly as broken. He reached out and stroked her hair, pushing it away from her face. Horrified, as his touch spread blood across her forehead, Sans pulled his hand away. "don't die. please don't die."

“Do-Don’t worry,” Frisk said as her vision became more and more blurry. Coughing, she spat more blood onto the grass and had to gasp for air. Her lungs felt as though they were on fire.

"Kismet! What have you done?" Chancellor's voice called out as Frisk's vision continued to fade away. Her eyes fluttering shut as her body convulsed.

"Frisk!" Someone else called out in horror. Frisk felt a small smile come to her face. At least she was loved. She LOADED.

Jolted back in time, Frisk found herself at the entrance to the castle again. She ran forward to meet Sans, who bolted forward as well. “frisk!” He hugged her tightly, ignoring the impending danger. He just felt so relieved that she had been alright. Frisk let go, whirled around, and summoned her shield right as Kismet fired the arrows. Her right eye glowed red with her magic. Sans stepped forward, left eye glowing blue.

“Wait,” Frisk said, holding out an arm to stop him. “I want to know why he attacked me.” Sans clenched his teeth together. He would much rather kill the sorcerer than wait to find out what his motive was, but he knew that would be a bad idea.

All of the arrows hit home in the shield creating loud thunks as they hit, Frisk lowered it and stared over at Kismet. “I’m guessing I killed you once already,” He said with a disappointed sigh. Walking forward, Kismet loaded another arrow. Hundreds more appeared around him. “I can’t see you, but if I keep firing arrows I’m guessing one will eventually hit you.” Again, Kismet fired. The arrows all either ricocheted off Frisk’s shield or sunk into it.

“Why?” Frisk yelled. The arrows flew again. A small crack appeared in the shield. Nervous that it might break, Frisk sent it away and summoned another one. “Why are you doing this?”

“You ruined everything!” Kismet snapped back. “You are an abomination that I helped create.” Confused, Frisk lowered the shield, staring over at him. Sans clenched his hands into fists. “It would be better for everyone if you just died and didn't come back!” The next flurry of arrows didn’t make it to Frisk and Sans.

Someone raced forward to protect them. A purple cape fluttered as she moved, striking down the arrows with a huge broadsword. Dark black hair fell in curls down her back. “Did you forget what I told you Kismet?” The woman said as she destroyed the last arrow. “I won’t let you hurt her!”

“Moxie!” Kismet’s face twisted in anger as he recognized the woman’s voice. “How dare you show your face here!”

“Moxie?” Frisk asked, startled. The woman turned and stared back at Frisk. She smiled at her and Frisk’s eyes widened as their eyes met. The shape of Moxie’s face and lips matched Frisk’s so well. Her skin was darker than Frisk’s, but Frisk could still see how similar they looked. No wonder the drawings had looked so familiar. Heart pounding, Frisk just stared back as all the pieces aligned in her mind. 

“Don’t worry Frisk,” Moxie said with a smile. “Run away. I won’t let him hurt you again.”

Frisk’s heart pounded in her chest. “No way,” She said with a horrified look. “You’re…you’re…”

Furious, Kismet fired several more flurries of arrows. Moxie struggled to knock them away from herself. As she moved, Frisk saw the long scar down her right side from an injury that rendered her right hand unusable. Clenching her hands in fury, Frisk reached to take Sans’ hand. “Let’s go!”

To Frisk’s surprise, Sans did not turn and run. An arrow nearly hit Moxie and she barely managed to dodge it in time. Several more arrows shot towards her. A light blue glow surrounded her and she was jerked backwards out of harm’s way. Tumbling through the air, Moxie managed to land on her feet after she flew backwards. Shocked, Moxie turned back and stared at Sans. “Why save me?” She asked.

“thank gaster,” Sans replied, not meeting her gaze. Frisk glanced at him with a surprised look. Before Kismet could fire another attack, Chancellor and Gamut came racing into the courtyard with Cavalier close at their heels. “Stop this!” Chancellor yelled, grabbing Kismet’s wrist.

“Let go of me!” Kismet yelled back.

“You just attempted to kill another member of the Council,” Gamut said with a disappointed look as she grabbed his other wrist. Furious, he struggled against both of them.

“He did kill a member of the Council,” Chancellor said through clenched teeth.

Cavalier raced past them and summoned a rapier. She pointed it at Moxie’s throat. Without hesitation, Moxie dropped her sword. It fell to the ground and then disappeared. “Will you come quietly?” Cavalier asked. A dark look covered her face. “Please say no, so I can kill you right here.”

“I won’t fight you.” Moxie shook her head. “I’m done fighting all of you.” Narrowing her eyes, Cavalier lowered her rapier just enough to be less threatening.

Shell shocked, Frisk just stared at the scene before her. Both Cavalier and Chancellor said a string of words that created bands of white light that surrounded both Moxie and Kismet’s wrists. The sorcerers were talking amongst themselves. Moxie remained silent with her head hung down. She glanced over at Frisk and smiled. Anger welled up inside of Frisk and she tore her gaze away.

“frisk?” Sans asked, watching as she stormed away. He followed her, leaving the sorcerers to deal with their two new prisoners.

Looking around at the destruction of Alcastle, Frisk felt sick. She raced away, reaching up to remove the cloak around her neck. How could she have not seen the similarities? It was so obvious. Her face looked just like Moxie’s. As she considered the thought, she came to a stop. Sans almost ran into her. “You knew!” She whirled around to face him. “You knew this whole time! You knew they were my real parents!”

Sans lowered his eyes in shame. “i guessed,” He said.

Tears leapt to Frisk’s eyes. “How long?” She asked.

“when we found those pictures of moxie,” Sans said. “i suspected right away that-”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Frisk asked. She wiped away the tears streaming down her face. “Why? Why keep it a secret?” Before Sans could reply, she continued, “I guess now I know why I killed everyone. Murderous tendencies are in my blood!” Her body shook as she sobbed.

“that’s why i didn’t say anything,” Sans said. “cause i knew you’d think that.” He stepped forward and pulled Frisk into a tight hug. She just continued to sob, clutching at his jacket. “it’s not true. you know that, kid.” Instead of replying, Frisk cried until her eyes couldn’t produce any more tears. 

The next few hours passed by with a whirlwind of activity. Chancellor told Frisk that they would decide on Moxie and Kismet’s fates the following morning. However, since they were short a member and there were no other sorcerers they needed a seventh voting member in case of a tie on a decision. For some crazy reason, the others choose Sans. Perhaps it had been because he was present when everything happened. It could have also been because they didn’t want any more word getting out about what happened.

In the middle of the night Frisk found herself climbing the stairs downward to the cells where Moxie was. She went alone to see her real mother. Torches flickered, casting a dim light into the cells. Frisk walked until she found a cell with a glowing barrier. The other sorcerers had created it to subdue Moxie’s magic. A similar one had been erected upstairs, trapping Kismet in his room. He had refused to be anywhere near Moxie and Frisk convinced the others to just keep him in the room. “I didn’t expect to see you,” Moxie said as Frisk approached. She toyed with a purple and black bracelet on her wrist, rubbing at one spot that looked quite worn. Frisk sat down on the ground in front of the cell. She glanced at Frisk and smiled.

“Why?” Frisk asked.

“Why what?” Moxie asked.

“Why didn’t you think I’d come?” Frisk said.

“Because you are a kind and wonderful person and I am a ruthless killer who happens to be your mother,” Moxie said, turning her eyes back to the bracelet. “I figured you would never want to see me.”

Trembling, Frisk clenched her hands together. “Why did you do it? You didn’t even try to convince them peacefully.”

“I did try and they wouldn’t listen,” Moxie said. Before Frisk could protest, Moxie continued, “Though I could have obviously tried harder.” She glanced over at Frisk again. “The Sorcerer’s Guild was right about one thing.” Frisk frowned. “Too much emotion can be a bad thing if you let it control you, which I did. My grief overtook me.” Twirling the bracelet around her wrist, Moxie sighed. “Do you know what the possible punishments for my crimes are Frisk?”

“Death or life imprisonment,” Frisk said. Chancellor had already explained some things to her. Moxie just nodded, not showing any fear. Shaking her head, Frisk stared at her mother. “Why did you abandon me?”

“You were safer without me,” Moxie said, shrugging. “The Council spent so much time looking for me that they never even considered your existence until you had already entered the Underground.”

“Which you lead me to,” Frisk said. Surprised, Moxie raised an eyebrow and nodded. “I remember the voice bringing me there, luring me to Mt. Ebott.”

“You did so well,” Moxie said, smiling at her. Frisk laughed. It came out bitter and hollow. She could tell her mother a hundred stories of all of her failures in the Underground, but decided against it. The two of them sat in silence for a while. Moxie turned back to her bracelet, staring at it with sad eyes. She continued to rub at the worn spot on the rope. “Can I ask something of you Frisk? Tomorrow when the Council votes, will you vote for my death?”

Frisk’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why?”

“Because every day I live with the horrors of what I did,” Moxie said. She leaned against the wall of the cell and closed her eyes. “Every day I have to drag on by myself. Every day I’m here without anyone who loves me. I’ve never felt so alone. Life imprisonment would wreck me. I couldn’t imagine a worse fate.”

Frisk’s heart pounded. She had sometimes wondered what it would be like to meet her real mother. Now she just wished she had never known the truth. “Okay,” Frisk said. She wasn’t agreeing because she wanted to help Moxie. Frisk thought she deserved to die. The destruction she wrecked upon the sorcerers had been horrible and selfish. With her power, she could have convince them, but instead she choose to kill them all. Frisk rose to her feet. She couldn’t bear to stay there any longer.

“Thank you,” Moxie said. As Frisk turned to leave, Moxie called after her. “I hope your life is happy Frisk. I know I’m nothing more to you than a DNA donor, but I just wanted to say I’m proud of you. You have such a wonderful family and so many people who care about you.” A single tear ran down Moxie’s face. “You got everything I wanted and I hope you enjoy it. Treasure it, all of it.”

Frisk left without saying another word. She ran back up the stairs, climbing until she reached the bedroom where she and Sans were staying for the night. Tip-toeing back toward the bed, Frisk slipped under the covers beside Sans. He did not stir. Staring at the ceiling, Frisk thought about the sorcerers and Alcastle. She imagined how horrible the damage had been. Moxie had no excuse for her actions. She could have turned back time and never done it, but she choose not to. She choose to murder all of those sorcerers. In that moment, Frisk felt confident that Moxie deserved to die. No matter what.  


	11. Chapter 11

The six sorcerers and Sans sat around the table in the highest tower of the castle. They sat in silence as Chancellor spoke, "Kismet's fate rests in our hands this morning. His crime is the murder of one of the Council members."

"Shouldn’t it be attempted murder?" Pip asked with a confused glance at Frisk.

"No," Chancellor said, shaking his head. "Had Frisk not been able to LOAD she would be dead. Kismet will be charged for her death." His hands trembled for a moment, but he regained control and calmed them. Sans glanced over at him with a knowing look. Upon seeing Frisk’s destroyed body, the old sorcerer had begun to cry. Sans wondered why he would care so much, but decided not to question it. Perhaps he had just grown tired of death.

"Customarily the only choices for the killing of a Council member are death or life imprisonment," Gamut said. "I suggest we add another option, a shorter time spent imprisoned."

"Fourteen years," Cavalier said. She glanced at Frisk and the corners of her mouth turned up to form a tiny smile. “I’m just glad he didn’t manage to kill you permanently.”

"Seven," Boon said, shaking his head. "Kismet knew he could not actually kill Frisk. We need to consider that."

"One." All eyes turned to Frisk with shocked expressions. She stared back with a confident look.

"One?" Cavalier said, rolling her eyes. "That's stupid. He deserves much more punishment than one year." Frisk shook her head.

“He knew that he couldn’t actually kill me,” Frisk said. “Like Boon said and me dying isn’t that big a deal since I can LOAD, so one year seems fine to me. All he wanted was to hurt me.” Sans nodded, not surprised at Frisk’s compassion.

"First let us decide on death or imprisonment," Chancellor said. "All those in favor of death?" No one raised their hands. Sans felt tempted, but reminded himself that his job was to break ties. Everything else was up to the sorcerers. "Alright, then imprisonment it is." He sighed. "Fourteen years?" Both Cavalier and Chancellor voted in favor of the longest sentence. "Seven years?" Boon, Gamut, and Pip raised their hands. "One year?" Only Frisk rose her hand. "Seven years it is then." Chancellor wrote something down in a large leather bound book. “Now we must decide on Moxie’s fate.”

Frisk clenched her hands together until her knuckles turned white. Kismet's ruling meant nothing to her. She had been killed many more times by her friends in different timelines. Whether it was for self-protection, revenge, or hope of a better life she had been able to understand why. It felt the same way with Kismet. He had killed her out of his own self-interest, knowing that she could not really die. He had just wanted to hurt her. Moxie was different. She had murdered hundreds of people. Afterwards, she choose to let them remain dead rather than reversing time and changing the timeline. She should have known better. She deserved to die.

"We all know the atrocities Moxie has committed against us," Chancellor said with a solemn expression. "She is charged with the murder of one hundred and seventy-four sorcerers and one Council member." Folding his hands together, Chancellor leaned back in his chair. "She is also charged with the destruction of Alcastle. Due to her crimes, only two punishments may be rewarded to her. Life imprisonment or death." Silence hung over the group for a few moments as they considered the options. "Life imprisonment?"

After a few tense moments, three hands rose into the air. Boon, Gamut, and Pip voted in favor of life imprisonment. Surprised, Sans glanced over at Frisk. Her hands were clenched and she refused to look up. Why hadn't she voted to save Moxie's life? He considered asking her, but chose to remain quiet. Maybe she had something else in mind. 

"Death," Chancellor said. His own hand rose along with Cavalier's and then Frisk's. Trembling, Frisk did not look up. Sans stared at her with a shocked look. He couldn't tell whether she was shaking from anger or sadness. The vote had been tied. Determination filled Frisk, she had to ensure Moxie was executed. She SAVED. "I suppose it is good you are here. It appears we have a tie." All of the sorcerers turned to look at Sans.

Glancing at Frisk, Sans wondered if he should trust her judgement. Then, Sans remembered the promise he made to Gaster. With an angry sigh, he said, "imprisonment."

When Frisk LOADED the first time, Sans barely noticed. He blinked, confused at the deja vu. However, when he turned and caught Frisk's gaze he realized what she had done. Her eyes were pleading. "I suppose it is good you are here. It appears we have a tie."

Frowning at Frisk, Sans shook his head. He couldn't break his promise to Gaster. "imprisonment," He said again. Frisk’s expression changed. She looked furious. Something about her expression scared Sans. He flinched when he saw the look on her face. She LOADED again.

"why'd you vote for her death?" Sans asked Frisk, shooting her a confused glance. Why was she LOADING?

"She deserves it," Frisk said. "And she wants it."

"imprisonment." Sans couldn’t break the last promise he ever made to Gaster, no matter how much Frisk wanted him to.

By the fourth LOAD, Chancellor realized what Frisk was doing. He had no idea how Sans had been able to remember previous timelines, but accepted it. Leaning back in his chair, Chancellor watched the scene with a worried expression. Abusing the SAVE and LOAD power could damage trust between two people who were both aware of it. He had seen it destroy relationships in the past. "We have a tie," Chancellor said.

"imprisonment," Sans said again.

Again and again, Frisk LOADED after Sans refused to vote for Moxie's death. As the LOADING continued, he began to feel the futility of everything setting back in after so many years. "why?" He asked, almost losing his temper. "why do you want her to die so badly?" The other Council members glanced at each other with confused looks. They couldn't remember the previous conversations.

"She deserves it," Frisk said. Her voice sounded hollow and disconnected. She LOADED again.

"We have a tie," Chancellor's voice rang out even and steady as if he hadn't witnessed the constant LOADs. Sans had lost track of how many times the scene had played out.

"you can't force me," Sans told Frisk. “stop it.” He clenched his hands into fists. "imprisonment." What was wrong with her? This wasn't the sweet girl that he knew. The look on her face worried him. She had all the power she needed to break him and she knew it. Comparatively, she was a god. At the moment, she was a vengeful god. Frisk LOADED again.

"imprisonment."

"Why? Why can't you see that she deserves to die?" Frisk's chair screeched as she leapt up. The other Council members jumped. "She is a demon!"

"i promised him," Sans said. "i told gaster i would-"

"You've broken promises before!" Frisk said, whirling to face him. He glanced up at her with a sad look. "I have plenty of memories of broken promises in the Judgement Hall!" Stunned, Sans flinched back. Her words were full of anger and they stabbed into him like daggers.

"Frisk," Chancellor said, finally breaking his silence on the matter. He leaned forward in his chair. "You must stop this nonsense."

"I would want to be dead too," Frisk said, ignoring Chancellor. "I know what it's like to be a murderer."

"no you don't," Sans said. "that was chara."

"I still felt guilty!" Tears rushed down Frisk's face as she screamed at him. "I will always feel guilty! Do you know how wonderful it was to finally die? To see the darkness and hope that it would stay that way. Every time you killed me in that Judgement Hall, I hoped it would be over forever.” Sans eyes widened in surprise. He reached out to comfort her, but she jerked away. “I hoped it would finally be the end. Murderers don't deserve to live. Moxie doesn't deserve to live!" She wiped away her tears and stared over at Sans with a furious look. “I hate her! I want her to die!”

“that expression you’re wearing,” Sans said. “you’re scaring me frisk.”  

Frisk LOADED. They were still in the room. Sans trembled from a combination of fear and anger. "We have a tie," Chancellor said with a frustrated look. Even he had begun to sound weary. Sans stared down at the table. He couldn't keep refusing. At that moment it felt like he was back in Snowdin, unable to control his own destiny and just waking up each day knowing that someday everything would reset and he’d live through it all again. He was a puppet and Frisk controlled the strings.

“imprisonment,” Sans said again. He raised his eyes to stare at Frisk. “stop.” His voice shook. “please frisk.” Her eyes were cold and determined. “come on, stop this.” The last time he saw that expression on her face was when Chara had possessed her.

“She doesn’t deserve imprisonment,” Frisk said. “She deserves to die!”

After countless more LOADs, Sans’ resolve broke. “death,” Sans said, voice shaking. The other Council members nodded and Chancellor breathed a sigh of relief, glad the constant LOADs had ended. Before anyone could speak, Sans stood and rushed out of the room. Pip and Boon exchanged concerned looks, while Cavalier frowned. Chancellor turned and sent a disapproving glance at Frisk, who just stared down at the table.

“We will execute her in the morning,” Chancellor said. “It is the duty of the seventh sorcerer to perform the deed.” Frisk nodded to indicate she understood. “Then this meeting is over.”

Shuddering, Sans walked down the long corridors of the castle. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. As soon as he felt far enough away from the room and far enough away from another possible LOAD, Sans began to cry. Tears rushed down his face. He didn’t even bother trying to wipe them away. Everything felt twisted. He had thought he had finally gotten away from the world where nothing ever mattered. Apparently, he had been wrong. Just like before, it didn’t matter what he choose. If Frisk wasn’t satisfied with how everything played out she could just LOAD and force them to live through everything again. How could she betray him like that? Feeling sick, Sans laid a hand on the wall. Memories of the experiment flashed back to him. The flashing lights and the burning pain filled him. He could see Gaster clearly in his mind.

“Please,” Gaster had signed. “If you ever meet a human called Moxie or a human called Frisk, you must care for them. Protect them for me. Promise me.”

Clenching his hand, Sans shook his head. He remembered when Flowey was first created, how the flower murdered everyone in the Underground again and again. How he toyed with them, pretended to help them, before killing them all. The memories of hundreds of different timelines played in Sans' mind. He remembered how Flowey ripped away his happiness in each one. His thoughts turned to Chara. How she had reset the timeline again and again just to kill everyone again and again for her own sick enjoyment.

“Everything will be okay from now on. I promise. Okay Sans?” Frisk’s words echoed through Sans’ mind. “It won’t be like this again. I’ll make this right.” Both promises to him were made in the Judgement Hall in two very different timelines.

“liar.” His hand slid away from the wall, wiping away his tears and then dropping by his side. “you lied to me, kiddo.” Sans began to walk away. It had been stupid of him to give away his heart to the one person that could destroy everything again and again.

Frisk’s footsteps echoed against the stone floor as she ran towards him. “Sans!” What had she done? Frisk felt horrible. She was so dead set on killing Moxie, that she had hurt Sans. She felt disgusted with herself. In that moment, she felt the touch of the darkness that had once filled her SOUL. Once again, LOVE had filed her, even if it was for a brief moment. “Sans, wait!” She reached out to grab his wrist.

At her touch, Sans slapped her hand away. “don’t touch me!” His left eye lit up blue and a blaster appeared as he whirled around. Reflexively, Frisk’s right eye glowed red as her equivalent blaster appeared. She clutched her hand and stumbled back, shocked. Neither of them spoke for several moments. Frisk trembled in fear as she stared forward. Memories of the Judgement Hall flashed through her mind and she took several more steps backwards. The phantom pain of the blasters obliterating her brought pained tears to her eyes. Seeing her horrified look, Sans felt guilty for a brief moment, before he remembered what she had done. Clenching his hands into fists, Sans looked away from her. Then, Sans’ blaster disappeared and his eye returned to normal. “leave me alone.”

“I’m sorry,” Frisk whispered as her own magic faded away. Trembling, she stepped forward and Sans glared at her, making her stop in her tracks.

“sorry?” He asked. “you used me. i thought it’d be different. you promised me it would be different.” Frisk lowered her eyes in shame. “i thought that i could trust you.” Sans looked away from her. “you’ll never know what it’s like being able to only remember the different timelines. you’ll never know how useless you feel when you can’t save and load.”

“I shouldn’t have done it,” Frisk said. “I know I shouldn’t have but I-I-”

“couldn’t accept that you weren’t going to get your way?” Sans asked. Frisk shook her head back and forth furiously. “yeah right, i know your type. well, have it your way.” He turned on his heel and walked away.

“No, don’t leave,” Frisk said, beginning to walk forward. Before she took more than a couple of steps, Sans turned back.

“you’re just like them,” He said, pupils disappearing. “you’re just like flowey and chara.” Horrified, Frisk fell to her knees. "you just use your power to get what you want, completely disregarding how anyone else might feel." Sans turned and walked away, leaving her behind.

“No,” Frisk whispered. “I’m sorry. Don’t leave. Don’t leave me…” Tears fell down her face as she watched Sans leave the castle, not looking back again.

Time ticked by, dragging on and on for what felt like hours as Frisk knelt there in the empty corridor. Shaking with disgust, she hugged herself and cried. She had ruined everything. She had lost the one person she loved the most in order to enact retribution against someone she barely knew. It felt like an eternity had passed before someone else came walking down the corridor. She felt a strong hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Chancellor standing behind her. “I must speak to you,” He said, offering his hand to help her up.

The office set aside for the leader of Council was tucked in a much cozier part of the castle. To Frisk’s surprise, it overlooked a small garden. She followed Chancellor into the office and sat down in a plush chair before his desk. He walked over to a book and plucked it off the shelf, flipping through the pages. “I really messed up,” Frisk said.

“Yes you did,” Chancellor said. “I should have stepped in and tried to stop you, but I felt it wasn’t my place. Also, you seemed to be keen on ignoring me. In hindsight, what I should have done is had this conversation with you weeks ago.” He set the book down in front of her. Frisk frowned and stared down at the words. “ ‘The first rule of SAVE and LOAD. It must never be knowingly used to manipulate those that can remember other timelines,’ ” Chancellor recited from memory as he paced over to the window. “Do you understand why?”

“Yes,” Frisk said. She felt small as she stared at the rules laid out before her. “And it’s even worse than you think.” Chancellor turned back intrigued. Without hesitation, Frisk began to explain everything. She told him about her initial experience with the Underground and how Chara had possessed her. He listened carefully, nodding along.

“You really have made a grave error,” He said quietly. Sighing, Chancellor walked over and sat down before Frisk.

“Should I just LOAD and then-”

“No,” Chancellor said, shooting her a stern look. “You need to not SAVE and LOAD as carelessly as that ever again. You must live with this consequence. Read the second rule.”

Frisk stared down at the book. “ ‘The second rule of SAVE and LOAD. It must only be used to save your own life or someone else’s life, never for your own personal gain,’ ” Frisk read aloud. Chancellor nodded. “That’s really all the sorcerers ever used it for?”

“Yes,” Chancellor said. “At least in theory. When I was child, I must admit I used it to cheat on my homework.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I was caught eventually.” He sighed and leaned back in his seat. “You must strictly adhere to these rules. Continue.”

“ ‘The third rule of SAVE and LOAD. It must never be used to take someone else’s life. The fourth rule of SAVE and LOAD. It must never be used in diplomatic relations. The fifth rule of SAVE and LOAD. It must never be used to tell people without the ability to see other timelines about other futures.’ ” Frisk frowned at this one. “Why?”

“There is no point in worrying people who cannot understand,” Chancellor said.

“ ‘The sixth rule of SAVE and LOAD. It must never be used to hurt yourself.’ ” Frisk frowned, but didn’t question it. Then, she read the last rule. “ ‘The seventh rule of SAVE and LOAD. It must never be used to RESET.’ ” Sighing, Frisk pushed the book back towards Chancellor. “I think I’ve broken almost all of those rules at one point or another.”

“The point is you will strictly follow them now,” Chancellor said. He closed the book and leaned forward. “I also have something else for you. Now that the seventh member no longer guards the Barrier, we will return to older traditions.” Out of his pocket, Chancellor pulled out a small silver amulet brooch that bore the Sorcerer’s Rune. Frisk stared at it. It had been Kismet’s, her father’s. “You will replace me as leader of the Council when I die.” He pinned the brooch to the clasp of her cloak. Frisk glanced at it and then turned her eyes back to Chancellor. A gold equivalent of the pin had been attached to his own clasp. “We will train to prepare you for the task. Perhaps it will help keep your mind off of things.” Frisk nodded. “Come along Frisk.” Chancellor stood and walked over toward a door at the back of his room. It opened up into the garden. “We still have much to discuss.”

“Actually,” Frisk said. “Can-Can I just rest for a while?”

Chancellor smiled at her. “Of course.”

Frisk walked out the door and into the garden. She found a spot under a tree and laid down staring up at the clouds. It did not take along until she began to cry again, eventually crying herself to sleep. 


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, it rained. The sorcerers gathered outside for Moxie’s execution. As the rain poured down, they stood together in the yard with Moxie kneeling down on the grass. Frisk had her hood pulled up, blocking her face from the rain. As she walked over to her real mother, Moxie did not look at her. Neither of them said a word as Frisk summoned her sword. Right eye glowing red, Frisk raised the sword and brought it down. All of a sudden, her magic flared up even more and her hand stopped. Struggling, Frisk tried to force the sword down, but her hand wouldn’t budge.

“What’s wrong?” Chancellor asked.

Frowning, Frisk shook her head. She tried to bring down the sword again, but couldn’t. Something was stopping her. “I can’t,” Frisk said, swinging again. “My magic is stopping me.”

“The monster magic?” Cavalier asked with a frown.

Realization hit Frisk. She stared at Moxie with a heavy heart. How much did Gaster love Moxie if just a tiny piece of him could stop Frisk from hurting her? Slowly, Frisk lowered the sword and tossed it aside. It disappeared in a flash of light. Her magic ceased and her eye returned to normal. Moxie frowned and lifted her head, staring at her daughter with a confused look, seeing the red glow around Frisk’s eye right before it disappeared.

“What monster magic?” She asked. It was the first words she had spoken all morning.

“It doesn’t matter,” Frisk said, glancing away.

Moxie looked considerate for a few moments then she gasped in realization. “Gaster’s magic,” She said in shock. “The red magic you use and the blue magic Sans uses.” Frisk flinched at the mention of Sans. “They’re the two halves of Gaster’s magic.” To Frisk’s surprise, Moxie began to cry. The other sorcerers glanced around at each other with confused looks. “I just want to die,” Moxie whispered, shocking all of them. Chancellor stepped forward and summoned his own sword. Gently, he pushed Frisk back.

“Perhaps this may have played out differently in another time,” Chancellor said to Moxie. “I am sorry my dear.”

“I understand,” Moxie said. “I deserve this.” She glanced at him with a pained smile. "Thank you."

Unable to watch, Frisk glanced away as Chancellor brought the sword down. The magic made the death swift and painless. An orange SOUL floated to the ground. Frisk glanced back over and knelt down to pick it up, staring at it in awe.

“Bravery,” Chancellor said. Frisk glanced from him and then back to the SOUL. “Only the bravest of us can face death and accept it.” Frisk handed the SOUL to Chancellor, who ripped it in half. It faded away. “Would you like to go home now Frisk? We can handle everything from here. I know it has been stressful.” Frisk nodded, feeling too weak to process all of the things that had happened.

When Frisk got home, she went up to her room. Tossing off the cloak and kicking off her shoes, Frisk walked over to her bed and crawled under the covers. Since she had stayed the night at Alcastle and it felt nice to be home again. After a few moments, Frisk began to cry again. She sobbed for hours, clutching at her pillow, before falling asleep.

The loud knock sounded at Sans’ door again. Ignoring it, Sans pulled his pillow over his head. “SANS?” Papyrus said. “PLEASE COME OUT. YOU’VE BEEN IN THERE FOR DAYS!” That wasn’t technically true, Sans dragged himself down to the kitchen to eat when Papyrus left the house. “PLEASE JUST TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG.” When Sans refused to reply, Papyrus sighed. “TORIEL CAME BY EARLIER. SHE WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT FRISK AND WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU KNEW ANYTHING. SHE BEGAN TO WORRY ABOUT YOU AS WELL WHEN I TOLD HER YOU HAVE NOT LEFT YOUR ROOM IN DAYS.” Sans’ hands balled into fists. “APPARENTLY FRISK HAS NOT BEEN FEELING WELL EITHER? TORIEL SAID SHE HAS BARELY LEFT HER ROOM AND HAS NOT EATEN, MUCH LIKE YOU. SHE WON’T EVEN TALK TO HER! WHAT HAPPENED? PLEASE TELL ME SANS.” Papyrus sighed. “WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS INSIST ON SUFFERING ALONE?”

Days dragged by in a haze. Once in a while, Frisk left her room, but she spent most of time hiding under the covers in her bed. “I could just RESET,” Frisk said, staring at the ceiling. Sans wouldn’t remember everything as well, but he would still know. Also, she would have to relive seven years of her life. Seven years of her live in which Sans might still be furious at her, if not more angry. Rolling over, Frisk shook her head. “I can’t,” She said as she thought of the rule book along with the possible consequences.

Sometime later, Toriel came to the door. “Frisk?” Toriel said and opened the door. She walked in with a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie. “I made some pie, would you like a piece?” Frisk shook her head. “Please, my child, you need to eat more. You are withering away.”

“Not hungry,” Frisk said without looking at Toriel.

Toriel sighed and set the pie on Frisk’s nightstand. “For if you do get hungry.” She left, closing the door behind her.

Peeking her head out of the covers, Frisk glanced at the pie and pulled the plate over toward her. She took a small bite. Feeling sick to her stomach, Frisk put the plate back down. Her eyes drifted toward her phone and she picked it absent-mindedly opening the photo app. Smiling, Frisk scrolled through pictures that spanned across the last seven years. As she looked at them, her heart sunk with each one she saw of her and Sans. They had been so happy. They had been inseparable. Tears splattered on the screen. Why had she thrown it all away? Angry at herself, Frisk wiped away her tears. “I can’t just mope forever,” She said and sat up, tossing back the covers. With a sad sigh, she opened the messaging app.

When Sans’ phone buzzed, he hesitated to grab it, wondering if Papyrus had decided to try texting him. “I’m sorry,” The text said. Sans tossed the phone aside and ignored it as it buzzed again.

Frisk knew it had been a lost cause, yet she continued to send message after message, rephrasing and over explaining everything. Then she called Sans, listening while holding her breath.

“hello?” Sans’ voice said, but Frisk recognized it was the voicemail. She wiped away tears. “just kidding. this is my voicemail. leave a message.” Frisk couldn’t speak. She hung up and then laid back down and pulled the cover over her head.

“I hate myself,” Frisk whispered. After a moment, she called again, listening to the voicemail just to hear Sans’ voice.

The next morning, Frisk got up and walked over to the bathroom, tip-toeing out of her room. As she stared at herself in the mirror, she glanced at her hair. It had grown past her shoulders and had begun to curl at the ends. Just like Moxie’s. Frisk frowned, clenching her hands.

“growing it out? looks cute, especially how it curls.” Sans’ words echoed in her mind, almost causing her to cry again.

Frisk summoned a sword and grabbed her hair. She sliced half of it off so that it ended just below her ears. Pieces of hair tumbled to the ground. Clenching her hands into fists again, Frisk brushed a stray hair out of her eyes. The red glow around her right eye faded as she sent the sword away.

Toriel looked surprised as Frisk walked down the stairs. “Are you alright Frisk?” She asked, walking over. She touched Frisk’s hair. “What happened with your hair?”

“I’m okay,” Frisk said with a fake smile. She couldn’t fool Toriel. Her adopted mother walked over and leaned down to hug Frisk. Surprised, Frisk took a moment and then hugged back.

“Please tell me what happened,” Toriel asked as she pulled back. With both her hands on Frisk’s shoulders, she kissed her forehead. “I will do anything I can to comfort you.”

“It’s a long story,” Frisk said.

“I have time my child, if you decide to tell me.” Frisk nodded once.

At first Frisk felt awkward as she began to explain everything. Soon though, the words poured out of her mouth. Then, tears began to stream from her eyes. Before the end of the story, Frisk was bawling like she was a little girl. She cried like the time she first met Toriel. She felt afraid and alone. For a moment, Toriel did not say anything. With a solemn look, she nodded and then placed her hands on Frisk’s shoulders again. “Mom?” Frisk asked.

“In the end you have always managed to do the right thing,” Toriel said. “I believe you can fix this too. Just understand that it may take time for everyone’s hearts to heal, including yours.” Frisk nodded. “Just do not try to force anything too fast my child. It may take a long time for Sans to trust you again.” Frisk nodded again. “Maybe, focus on something else for now.”

“Alcastle needs to be rebuilt,” Frisk said. “I’ll get some others to help with that. Pip said they would start working on it soon. I guess the summer’s almost over by now, huh?” Pausing, Frisk frowned. “What’s the date?” She pulled out her phone and stared at it surprise. Almost a week had gone by and she had barely registered it. Her heart ached as she said, “My birthday was yesterday.”

“You did not seem up for any celebrations,” Toriel said. She gently handed her a present. Frisk stared at it and then opened it. A photo album sat tucked inside. “We all put it together for you. Eighteen is an important birthday for humans after all. We thought it would be fun to celebrate how far we have all come.”

“Thank you,” Frisk said. She held the book close to her chest and beamed at Toriel. “Thank you!”

Many of the monsters wanted to come help with the rebuilding of Alcastle. After discussing things with the sorcerers, Frisk decided that they could all stay there during the summer as they helped rebuild the small town. Enveloped in the work, Frisk tried her best to keep her mind off thoughts of Sans. Still, she hadn’t seen him in weeks.

In fact, he hadn’t even gone into the lab in weeks. “I’m really worried,” Alphys admitted to Frisk one morning as they looked over some building plans. “I even went over there to try to talk to him, but he won’t even come out of his room.” Staring at the blueprints, Frisk felt an overwhelming guilt. “Whatever happened between you two, it was really bad right?” Frisk glanced over at Alphys and nodded. She had refused to tell anyone else besides Toriel. Though Papyrus begged for her to tell him every day. Unlike Frisk, Sans still chose to seclude himself from everyone. He hadn’t even talked to Papyrus in weeks. Frisk’s heart ached at the thought.

“Do you think a good person can do evil things?” Frisk asked.

“Yes,” Alphys said without hesitation. She glanced at one of the amalgams. They rarely came out, but some of them had seemed to want help with the rebuilding. They were strong and in the sheltered safety of Alcastle, few people stared at them. “I think those people can be forgiven too. I mean eventually.” Frisk nodded. “As long as they open up to their friends and admit what they did was wrong.”

“I used my SAVE and LOAD power to force him to do something he didn’t want to do,” Frisk said, words tumbling over each other as she spoke. Only Alphys and Toriel also knew about Sans ability to remember previous SAVEs. He had never even told Papyrus.

“Oh,” Alphys said, eyes widening in shock. “That actually explains a lot.” She frowned and turned to face Frisk. She placed a hand on her shoulder. “You taught me to never give up and to not hate yourself. If you tell the truth and apologize from the bottom of your heart.” Alphys sighed. “Maybe Sans would forgive you someday?”

“We’ll never be as close,” Frisk said, shaking her head. “He doesn’t trust me anymore.” Tears threatened to spill and Frisk wiped them away. “I wouldn’t either.” Alphys nodded and to Frisk’s surprise, she hugged her rather tightly. Touched, Frisk hugged her back.

Before anyone else could notice, Frisk snuck off and teleported back to Ebott. She headed into Sans and Papyrus’ house. The living room and kitchen were empty so Frisk walked up the stairs. Her heart pounded as she stood outside Sans door. Feeling her heart pound from anxiety, she knocked.

“go away papyrus.”                        

Startled, Frisk suddenly couldn’t find her voice. She rocked back and forth on heels, wondering if she should just leave. “Sans?” Frisk said. “I uh I came to apologize. Again.” The hundreds of messages she had sent him had not been apology enough, they never would be. She needed to talk to him in person. Silence met her stammered sentences. “You have every right to hate me.” Frisk placed her hand against the door. “I hate myself. I hate what I did and I can never change the fact that I did it. I’ve tried to tell myself that good people can do evil things, which I do think is true.” Pausing, Frisk turned around and leaned against the door, sliding to the ground. “I also think they don’t need to be forgiven for the evil things they do.” She stared down at her hands. “Chancellor taught me a lot about my power. I understand more about it now. I understand how dangerous it is. Though, I understood that the moment you walked away from-” She broke off and shook her head. “I know how badly I’ve hurt you. I don’t feel right asking you to trust me again. I know that you probably never will. I just want to do everything I can to fix what I’ve done. Even though I know I will never be able to do enough.” Sniffing, Frisk shook her head. She refused to break down crying. “Everyone is worried about you. Especially Papyrus. I just want to do what I can to make it better. If that’s alright?” Before Frisk could say anything else, the door opened. Flailing her arms, Frisk fell backwards. Sans stepped out of the way.

“promise me something buddy,” Sans said. His face betrayed no emotion, but Frisk flinched when he called her “buddy.” He only ever did that in the timelines where she murdered everyone. “don’t LOAD again. ever.”

“I won’t,” Frisk promised as she stared up at him. She had already decided on that a long time ago.

Sans looked thoughtful for a moment and then headed out of his room, hands in his pockets. “so this rebuilding thing’s finally going on?” Sans said.

Confused, Frisk sat up. “At Alcastle? Yeah, we’re hoping to get everything built by the end of summer,” Frisk said. “Pip and Boon are out looking for anyone who has high determination and can use magic. If they’re at least sixteen, they’ll be asked if they want to come and join the Sorcerer’s Guild, so we actually need a town to set them up in.”

“i’ll help,” Sans said, heading down the stairs. Frisk rose and followed him.

“Thank you,” She said.

“no problem.” The tension was palpable. Sans still did not trust Frisk. Everything he said to her was brisk and he didn’t meet her gaze. Frisk figured that at least being at speaking terms again was good enough for her.

Just being in the same room as Frisk again still scared Sans. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She had chopped almost all her hair off. Her face looked thin, her eyes and hair dull. Sans wondered if she had been eating well. The look in her eyes was a mixture of happiness and pain. When she saw him looking, she smiled, but it looked broken. Sans glanced away again.

Everything had changed between them. Sans barely spoke to Frisk anymore and they never spent any time alone. Frisk accepted that things would never return to the way they were, yet a part of her still ached. An irreparable hole had been torn into her. As Frisk suffered in silence, Alcastle began to look like a real town again. By the end of the summer, the sorcerers’ town stood tall again. Frisk stared at everything and sighed. A new chapter in her life had begun and for the first time in a long time, Sans wasn’t a part of it.


	13. Chapter 13

Twenty one new sorcerers had been found and all of them eagerly agreed to come to Alcastle. Frisk and Chancellor strode through the gardens as they discussed final preparations. “I have been considering adding new courses to the sorcerer’s educations,” Chancellor said. “Perhaps a whole section on monster history and culture.”

“That would be great,” Frisk said, smiling.

“Do you know any monsters who would like to teach it?” Chancellor asked. “They would probably have to stay here.”

Frisk pondered the question for a few moments before saying, “Yes I think so, and I’ll ask him when I go home.”

“About that,” Chancellor said. “I was also wondering if you would move into the castle.” Frisk stared at him in surprise. “As a member of the Council, your presence here is essential. You spend much of your time here anyway and it must be a hassle to go back and forth.”

“I don’t know,” Frisk said. She stared at the flowers as they walked. As she grew older, Frisk figured she might have to move away from Ebott one day. Though she hadn’t been quite ready for that moment to occur so soon. “I suppose I should. I’ll need time to pack and say goodbye to everyone.”

“You will see them again,” Chancellor said with a quiet laugh. “After all, we are having our opening celebration next week.”

In one week the twenty one new sorcerers would arrive. To mark the success of the rebuilding of the Sorcerer’s Guild, they decided to throw a formal party. Pip had been working with Nacarat Jester and Scarf Mouse to craft beautiful outfits for all of them. “I know,” Frisk said. “It’ll be fun.”

When Frisk returned home, she stared around at her room with a sad look. Toriel noticed and walked over, knocking on the door even though it was open. She always let Frisk know when she was there. “I suspect you may have something to tell me my child?”

“Chancellor wants me to move into the castle,” Frisk said, turning around to face her. “I want to, but I don’t want to leave here. I’m kind of scared.” Toriel smiled and walked over to her.

“I knew one day you would leave to continue your own life,” She said. “We will miss you, but you cannot stay here forever.” Frisk nodded.

For a few hours, Frisk began to pack up her room. She packed up boxes and boxes of clothes, before taking down the pictures she had collected over the years and packing them away in her photo album. Once Frisk had packed a couple of boxes, she headed out into town to go speak with Gerson.

“Help teach a future generation of sorcerers?” Gerson asked in surprise. Frisk nodded. “Wah ha ha! Sounds great. I would have never expected to be asked that! I’ll wrangle some other monsters into coming as well.” He nudged Frisk playfully. “I’m not exactly young, you know?”

“Thank you so much Gerson!” Frisk exclaimed.

“So I’m guessing we’ll be living there?” Gerson asked.

Frisk nodded. “I’m moving there as well,” She said. “I can help with the classes too.”

Gerson nodded. “Finally leaving Ebott,” He said. “Well, it’s a brave new world out there. Once again, all because of you Frisk.” He smiled at her and ruffled her hair before heading off. “Like the new hair by the way.” Blushing, Frisk smiled back.

Most of her friends did not take the news as well as Gerson, though he was also leaving so that may have been why. “You’re leaving Ebott?” Undyne yelled. “What?! We can’t hang out as much if I have to drive all the way to Alcastle!”

“I WILL MISS YOU SO MUCH MY DEAR FRIEND!” Papyrus hugged Frisk close.

“I hope everything goes well,” Alphys said with a small smile.

“It better go well if you’re abandoning us!” Undyne cut in again, shoving Papyrus away from Frisk. “You’re my only real competition! Papyrus’ team will never win now!” She grabbed Frisk by the shoulders and actually looked like she might cry. 

“I’ll come back and visit!” Frisk said, hugging them all. “Don’t worry.” She laughed. “I won’t forget you.” Smiling, Frisk stepped back. “I think I’ll leave tomorrow morning, but you’re all coming to the celebration right?”

“TOMORROW?” Papyrus asked. He glanced at the clock above the fireplace. “HAVE YOU ALREADY SAID GOODBYE TO EVERYONE?” Frisk’s smile became strained. “WHAT ABOUT SANS?”

“It’s fine Papyrus,” Frisk said. Her friend’s shoulders drooped. A concerned look crossed his face. Frisk knew that he had been trying to get Sans and her back together. She also knew that it just couldn’t be done.

“We’ll all be there to see the real opening of Alcastle,” Undyne said. “After all, we helped build that stupid village.” Frisk nodded.

The door slammed against the wall as Papyrus came home. Sans glanced up him. “hey bro,” He said.

“SANS!” Papyrus said, rushing over to his brother. “DID YOU KNOW THAT FRISK IS LEAVING? SHE IS MOVING TO ALCASTLE.”

“no i didn’t,” Sans said, glancing back down to continue reading his book.

“ARE YOU NOT UPSET?” Papyrus asked as he closed the door.

“nope.”

“WHY NOT?” Papyrus asked with an exasperated sigh. “I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT COULD HAVE POSSIBLY HAPPENED BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU! EVEN FRISK SEEMS TO HAVE NO INTEREST IN REPAIRING WHATEVER HAS BECOME BROKEN. YOU TWO WERE SO IN LO-”

“i don’t want to talk about it,” Sans interrupted. Little did Papyrus know, Frisk tried quite hard to fix everything. She had even sworn to never use her powers again. Sans found himself just staring at the book rather than reading it. Why would she leave? It was obvious. She had to help train the new sorcerers. Sans was surprised to find that he felt a bit hurt that she did not even bother saying goodbye to him. Then again, she probably figured he wouldn’t care.

“BROTHER ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?” Papyrus said, jolting Sans out of his thoughts. He glanced up with a confused look. “I WAS ASKING IF YOU WERE GOING TO ACCOMPANY ME TO THE CELEBRATION FOR THE OPENING OF ALCASTLE. I BELIEVE IT WILL BE VERY FUN.” Sans shrugged non-committedly. “WHY NOT?”

“i hate those kinds of things,” Sans said, closing his book and setting it on the coffee table. “besides parties on saturday leave me weekend.” Papyrus rolled his eyes. He hated when Sans refused to talk to him.

“YOU CANNOT HIDE BEHIND PUNS FOREVER SANS!” He yelled in frustration. Sans glanced at him and did not say anything. “YOU ARE ALWAYS LIKE THIS WHEN YOU ARE UPSET. YOU COOP YOURSELF AWAY FOR WEEKS AND THEN SUDDENLY ACT LIKE EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT!” Leaning down, Papyrus hugged Sans. “I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE FOR YOU SANS. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT.” With a small smile, Papyrus tightened his grip. “ALWAYS SANS.”

Surprised, Sans hugged Papyrus back, squeezing a little. “i’m okay,” Sans said. “really.” Papyrus nodded and stood up straight again.

Once Papyrus left, Sans pulled out his phone and opened the text messaging app. Frisk had sent him a hundred apologies. He read through them again and again, before closing the app and opening the photo gallery. Once again, he felt heartbroken as he looked back through the pictures of him and Frisk. He had considered deleting them, but decided against it. Shaking his head, Sans put the phone away. “i’m an idiot.” He jumped off the couch and headed upstairs to his room. Flipping on the light, Sans glanced around the room. He walked over to his bed and glanced over at the Valentine’s Day card still propped against his lamp.

“Sans, you are my singularity. Frisk.” Sans stared at the words for a long time before closing the card. He raised another hand and grasped it to rip it in half, but stopped. With an angry sigh, he threw it back onto the table before falling back on his bed. He stared at the ceiling for a while, before rolling over and opening a drawer on his nightstand. Sitting inside was a small black jewelry box. Sans took it out and opened it, revealing the silver lockets inside. He snapped it shut and tucked it in his pocket.

With a heavy heart, Frisk carried the last box into the room she now shared with Pip, Cavalier, and Gamut. She walked over to her bed and began to put things away into her drawer and closet. As she came across a picture of Sans and her, she stared at it a long time before setting it against the lab on her bedside table alongside the seashell Dogiam had given her.  

“Frisk! Come here, we finally finished all the dresses!” Pip called from the other side of the room.

“I’m coming,” Frisk said, rising to her feet. She ran over to find that Pip had already forced Gamut and Cavalier into their dresses. She then shoved Frisk’s dress into her hands.

“Quick!” Pip said. “Put it on!”

All four dresses were long and black with white gems sewed into them, forming the Sorcerer’s Rune. Frisk’s also had the Delta Rune decorating it. The dresses varied in straps and overall designs. Gamut had insisted her dress be more modest and it even had long sleeves. Pip’s had one shoulder strap, while Cavalier’s was completely strapless. Frisk had opted for a strap around her neck. Staring in the mirror Frisk moved back and forth, watching the dress swirl around her ankles.

“I never thought we’d be doing this,” Cavalier said. “Actually reforming the guild. I always thought we were done for.”

“I can’t wait to get back into whipping the younger generation into shape,” Gamut said with a wry smile. “I have to pass on all my wisdom after all.”

“I’m just glad our home is back to the way it was,” Pip said. Then she shook her head. “No, it’s better!” Staring at her reflection, Frisk traced the Delta Rune and then the Sorcerer’s Rune. This was her new home. This was her new destiny. Frisk glanced back at the other sorcerers and smiled, but it felt hollow.

That night Frisk couldn’t sleep. She laid in bed staring at the ceiling. Rolling over, Frisk turned and stared at her picture of Sans and her, then she quietly crept out of bed. At night, the castle seemed gloomy. Frisk carried a flashlight as she walked down the long halls toward the jails. Her feet padded on the ground, making soft thumps as she walked barefoot on the cold stone. Down and down, she descended towards the same cell she had spoken to her mother in several weeks ago. Now Kismet had taken up residence there and he would remain there for seven years.

“So who is it visiting me this time?” Kismet said upon hearing Frisk’s footsteps. “Gamut, are you back to bring me those stupid muffins or is it Cavalier here to yell at me again?”

“No,” Frisk said as she sat down in front of the glowing barrier separating the cell and hallway. Kismet turned his head and looked surprised.

“You?” He asked. “What are you doing here?” His tone grew cold. “Here to mock me? Gloat over your victory?”

“No,” Frisk said. “I couldn’t sleep.” Frisk stared in the cell with a curious look. Since his stay would be much longer, a bed had been added, along with a shelf of books. Frisk caught sight of one sitting open on the desk and could see the braille from her spot on the ground. Then, she glanced at Kismet, who leaned against the wall and sat on the floor.

“So you came to visit me?” Kismet laughed. “Are you crazy?”

“Could you not sleep either?” Frisk asked.

Kismet shook his head. “You don’t really care,” He said. “Why are you here?”

“I felt like it wasn’t over yet.”

“Why?” Kismet’s face scrunched up in anger. “You won.”

Staring down at her hands, Frisk shook her head. “I didn’t win,” She said. Kismet turned his head in her direction again. “I lost everything.”

“Care to elaborate?” Kismet asked. “From my spot it seems pretty obvious you won. Let’s see, point one, you won the trust of the rest of the Council. Point two, you convinced them to leave the monsters alone, even befriend them! Point three, you executed Moxie and finally, you imprisoned me.” He shrugged. “Tactically, that seems like a solid win for me. All of your enemies are taken care of and you’re left to celebrate.” Sighing, Kismet stood and walked over to his bed to sit there instead. “Now you’re Chancellor’s second in command rather than me. When he dies you lead the Council and the whole Guild once it’s reformed. You got everything I wanted.”

It hadn’t been long since Moxie had spoken those same words to Frisk. With sluggish movement, Frisk pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned her head on them. “Maybe I got everything you wanted,” She said. “But not what I wanted.”

“What more could you want?” Kismet said, scoffing at her.

“Love,” Frisk said.

“Seems like you got that too,” Kismet said. “The Council members adore you. Didn’t you see how furious Chancellor was when I-” He broke off and shook his head. “Well you know.” Kismet laughed bitterly. “I have really lost it huh? I wanted power so much. I drove away any happiness I could have ever had.” He stared down at his hands. “I could have loved Moxie perhaps. Maybe we all could have been a happy family, living here together. What do you think of that Frisk? That sounds ridiculous to me personally.” He shook his head. “I also wouldn’t have named you ‘Frisk’, what a dumb name.”

Frisk pursed her lips in annoyance. “What’s wrong with my name?” She asked.

“I would have named you Brio,” Kismet said, nodding to himself. “Or perhaps Ardor.”

Frisk peered at her real father. She could see the shape of his nose matched hers. Blinking in the dim light, Frisk tilted her head and wondered if she got her eyes from him. Moxie had dark brown eyes, while Frisk’s were more hazel.

“I want to get along,” Frisk said. “Maybe, be friends? Family?” Kismet laughed and Frisk’s shoulders fell.

“You are so unlike Moxie and I,” He said. “I guess nurture is much more important than nature.” Shaking his head, Kismet laid back on the bed. “You only wanted to imprison me for a year. How ridiculous. Gamut told me and I thought she was joking. Surely, you would feel some anger towards someone who killed you?”

“It doesn’t do any good,” Frisk said. She thought back to the decision of Moxie’s fate and to the countless LOADs. “Anger doesn’t fix anything. It just drives people away and makes things worse.”

“What a naive idea,” Kismet said. He glanced away.

“How about this?” Frisk said. “How long have you spent angry at Moxie? How long have you let it consume you?” Kismet frowned, considering her words. “Maybe, you should try forgiving her, maybe trusting me?”

Silence fell over them. For a few moments, Frisk wondered if she should just leave. Then Kismet said, “Alright daughter, here’s one piece of advice.” He rolled over so his back was to her. “Don’t be anything like me, okay? Maybe, while I’m in here, I could learn to be more like you.” Frisk’s eyes widened in surprise. “Come back later. I want to get some rest.”

“Okay,” Frisk said, smiling.


	14. Chapter 14

The celebration came faster than Frisk expected. She watched as twenty one bright eyed teenagers and adults arrived at Alcastle. Everything about them varied, from their hair to their clothes to their skin. Frisk and Pip greeted them before showing them to their rooms. By nightfall, the clearing in Alcastle had come alive with music and celebrations. Frisk wandered the crowds, chatting with everyone. Soon after the party started, she got cornered by several of the new sorcerers who were bursting with questions for her.

Sans slipped away from the others almost the moment they arrived at Alcastle. He walked through the crowds, looking for Frisk. The box in his pocket felt heavy. After a while of searching, Sans overheard someone talking, “So you can SAVE and LOAD right? You’re the seventh member Pip talked about?”

Frisk stood together with a couple of teenagers who all gathered around her. “I can,” Frisk said. Sans couldn’t see her expression, but judging by her voice, she seemed uncomfortable.

“Wow,” One of the new sorcerers said. “So if we told you something super secret, you could just rewind time and tell us?”

“No,” Frisk said with a firm tone. “My power is not to be taken for granted like that.” Sans smirked. How times had changed.

“It must be really powerful,” Another sorcerer said. “Are you glad you have it?”

“It’s helped me,” Frisk said. “But then, it’s more of a curse than a blessing.” Surprised, Sans walked closer to her hear better. “If used incorrectly it can destroy everything.”

“Really?”

Frisk nodded. “As the seventh sorcerer it is my responsibility to bear this power, but I do not misuse it, at least not anymore.” Her voice trembled as she spoke. “I didn’t understand how powerful it was and how destructive it could be. I ended up losing everything because of it.”

“Losing everything?”

“I lost the one person I love more than anything,” Frisk said. The music shifted, changing from the fast paced music to a slower song. Sans heard applause from the area before stage and glanced over to see Boon and Undyne playing the piano. “Magic is something that can be amazing and wonderful, but must be used correctly. Always. If I can teach you anything, I hope that you'll learn that.” The other sorcerers nodded and walked off, thanking Frisk for talking to them.

Once the younger group of sorcerers left, Frisk felt tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. She willed herself not to cry. At least not at the celebration, she could always cry herself to sleep later. Like she had been doing every other night. “want to dance?” Frisk jumped and whirled around when she heard Sans’ voice. She stared at him, wondering if she was imagining things. Not only had he just asked her to dance, but somehow someone had forced him into wearing a suit. Sans offered his hand to her.

“Sure,” Frisk said, still surprised. She reached out and grabbed his hand. The familiar sound of a whoopee cushion reverberated, causing a few others to glance over with confused looks.

Sans snickered, revealing the whoopee cushion in his hand. “the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it’s always funny.” Warmth spread through Frisk and she laughed harder than she had laughed in weeks. “anyway, about that dance?” Sans tucked the whoopee cushion away before offering his hand to her again. Still smiling, Frisk placed her hand in his.

Feeling awkward, Frisk placed her other hand on Sans’ hip and he mirrored her positon. “I’m surprised you came,” Frisk said quietly.

“eh, parties are fun,” Sans said with a shrug.

Frisk nodded. As they danced, she realized it was the closest they had been in months. Her breath felt tight in her chest. She was afraid to say anything that would break the fragile moment. “I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye!” Frisk blurted out. “I thought-I thought-”

“that i wouldn’t care either way?” Sans guessed and Frisk nodded. Silence fell over them for a few moments. Sans tightened his grip on Frisk’s hand. “maybe, you were right.”

Embarrassed, Frisk glanced away. “I’m sorry,” She whispered. Glancing back, Frisk stared at him, trying and failing to read his expression. “Sans, I just-I just wish-” She let go of his hand and backed away. Heart thumping, Frisk shook her head. She couldn’t bear to be that close, knowing that things would never be the same. “I have to go.” She rushed off, leaving a startled Sans staring after her. He sighed, tucking his hands into his pockets. Shouldn’t he be the one running away? He wondered.

Frisk ran until she reached the garden. Panting, she placed a hand against a tree and wiped away tears that had begun to form. Then she leaned against the tree and slid to the ground, staring up at the stars. After a few moments, she heard footsteps approach. “Frisk?” Pip said, coming around the corner. She peeked over and saw Frisk sitting down by the tree. “Hey, why are you all the way over here? I saw you leave the party and well-” Embarrassed, Pip laughed. “I was a little worried.”

“It’s nothing,” Frisk said. Pip nodded and sat down beside her.

“I know its hard,” She said. “Living here, but things are about to get way more interesting. Just you wait. You’ll get so caught up in living here that you won’t feel nearly as homesick.” Frisk nodded. “I saw you were with Sans.”

“I was,” Frisk said, glancing away.

“And? Any forgiveness going on between you two?” Frisk shook her head. With a sigh, Pip slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Don’t worry, we’ll look after you.” Frisk nodded and stared up at the stars. “Have you ever learned about constellations Frisk?”

“No,” Frisk said.

“Well then I’ll show you some,” Pip said. Pointing at a cluster of stars, she said, “That one is Aquila. It’s an eagle.” Tracing the stars with her finger, Pip smiled over at Frisk. “That one is Lyra.” She continued on for a while as Frisk listened, staring up at the stars in wonder. Then, Pip stood and offered her hand to Frisk. “Ready to head back?”

The day after the celebration, classes began. Most of the new sorcerers were most excited to learn the practical use of magic, but many also seemed excited to learn about monsters. For the new class, Gerson had asked Alphys to create a small model of the CORE. He planned on teaching them technology a little while later in the upcoming months. The project took several weeks to complete.

As Alphys worked on the small model, she didn’t hear Sans come in until he asked, “what’s that?”

“Sans!” She jumped in surprise. With a sigh, she turned back to the model. “You haven’t been here in a while. I uh thought that you were never coming back.” Sans shrugged. “I’m making a model of the CORE for Gerson’s class at Alcastle.” Connecting one last wire, Alphys beamed at the machine as it came alive. Sans peered at it with a contemplative look.

“i can take it to him,” Sans said. Alphys glanced at him with a surprised expression.

“Why?” She asked. “Unless…did you want to go and see Frisk?” Sans chose not to reply. Sighing, Alphys stared down at her hands, twirling her thumbs over one another. “You know, uh, speaking from experience, I can safely say that she would probably be happy to see you.”

“she ran away from me at the celebration,” Sans said, sounding more upset than Alphys would have expected.

“Really?” Alphys said. Sans walked around the table, staring at the model. He reached out and touched a part of it, examining it. Alphys had done a good job. “I bet she’s scared to hurt you again.” Sans glanced at Alphys with narrowed eyes. “Um, Frisk may have kind of…sort of…definitely told me what happened.”

Looking away, Sans clenched his hands. “and?”

“And what?” Alphys asked.

“i’m sure you have an opinion,” Sans replied. “you always have an opinion when it comes to me and frisk.” 

“I think you two shouldn’t give up on each other!” Alphys blurted out. “I mean uh I’m not just saying that because you’re so adorable together.” Blushing, Alphys shook her head. “I’m saying it because of how happy you are together!” Sans slipped his hands into his pockets, feeling the box he still had in his pocket. Alphys was right.

The sun shone with no clouds to block it, warming the cool fall day. Frisk walked outside, flipping through a monster history book and watching as some of the new sorcerers gathered around Gerson while he told them stories about the Underground. Not all of them were official curriculum and most of them seemed to enjoy them much more than actual history lessons.

“hey kiddo.”

Frisk jumped and whirled around to see Sans standing behind her. He held the model of the CORE in his hands. “Hi Sans,” Frisk said, surprised. She gave him a shy smile. “Uh, is that the model of the CORE?” He nodded.

“alphys finished it this morning,” He said, offering it to her. After a moment of hesitation, Frisk took it and their hands brushed.

“Thank you,” She said before turning on her heels to walk away. “I should probably put it away right away so it doesn’t get broken.” Sans followed her, falling in pace by her side. He glanced up at her.

“how is everything here?” He asked. “looks pretty magical.” Frisk snickered and shook her head. “what?”

“It’s fine,” Frisk said. She glanced around the town. Still not quite bustling yet, there was plenty of activity. “Everyone seems happy here.” Her smile seemed a bit strained as she looked back at him. He didn’t even have to ask, since she continued, “I like it here too, I mean, it’s just different. It’s lonely at times.” She shook her head. “Not to say that everyone’s not friendly. Everyone is great, it’s just that-” She broke off, embarrassed, and did not say anything else. “This is the main lecture hall!” Walking up to a building, Frisk threw open the door. The huge hall could have easily fit several hundred people. “Since there’s not very many sorcerers we use it for all the classes right now.”

As Sans walked into the huge hall, he whistled. "never saw this place during the reconstruction,” He said. Frisk nodded. She already knew that since she had spent most of the time working on the lecture hall. Sans had spent most of his time avoiding her. Clutching the model a bit tighter, Frisk walked down the stairs and put it in one of the cabinets at the front of the room. She tucked her book alongside it. “hey frisk, who should you become friends with in school?”

“Who?” Frisk asked.

“the princi-pal,” Sans said, jumping up to sit on one of the desks.

Giggling, Frisk turned and walked over to one of the windows. She tapped on it, glancing over at Sans. “Why did the teacher write on the windows?”

“why?”

“Because she wanted her lesson to be clear!” Frisk said, whirling back around. Her cloak fluttered around as she moved, grinning.

For several moments Sans just stared at her. For the first time in a long time her smile seemed genuine. Her short hair had begun to grow in again and looked less frayed. Even her face looked healthier and happier again. “good one.” At that moment, Sans noticed the silver brooch on Frisk’s cloak. It glittered in the light. Leaping off the desk, he walked over and looked at it closer. Frisk blushed at how close he had come. “what’s that?”

“Oh, it’s just a brooch,” Frisk said, touching it. “It’s supposed to be a symbol for the sorcerer who’s second in command.” Sans looked surprised. “It’s silly, I think. All of the others are way more powerful and the only reason I was chosen was because of the SAVE and LO-” Frisk broke off as Sans glanced away, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. Awkward silence fell between them again. “Do you want to see the garden?” Frisk asked. “Or some other places around here? I mean its-”

“sure.”

Day by day, Sans and Frisk fell back into their old patterns. They joked together and laughed together. Every day Sans came to Alcastle. He made faces at Frisk while she tried to lecture. They walked in the gardens together telling jokes. Yet, the distance failed to be closed. Sans did not hold Frisk’s hand. They didn’t hug or kiss. They were just friends. Period. That continued on for a while.

“It gets so much colder here,” Frisk said, shivering as her and Sans sat together on a bench in the garden. “It’s always so nice in Ebott.”

“kinda reminds me of snowdin,” Sans said. Frisk nodded in agreement.

Before she could say anything else, snow began to drift down from the sky. Delighted, Frisk jumped to her feet and stared up at the snow. Flakes fell all around her as she stared up at the sky. Small, fluffy crystals decorated her hair and her cloak. “It’s beautiful,” She said, watching as the snow covered the flowers and bushes. Once more snow fell Frisk figured they could make snowmen and have snowball fights. Plenty of the other sorcerers would be happy with that. 

When Frisk turned back she did not expect Sans to be staring at her. Blushing, Frisk smiled back at him. “you’re snow beautiful,” He said, blushing as well. Frisk’s eyes widened in surprise. Sans stood up and walked over to her and pulled a small black box from his pocket. Frisk stared at it as he handed it to her

Surprised, Frisk took the box from him. Unable to speak, she opened it and peeked inside to see two heart shaped pendants. Frisk pulled one out and opened it. As it opened, a bright white light shone, illuminating the garden. Pictures appeared, hovering above the locket. Pictures of Sans and Frisk. Then, a song began to play. Gasping, Frisk held a hand up, trying to hold back tears. The pictures cycled through, pulsing with the white light. “What is this?”

“your birthday present,” Sans said, kicking the ground. He couldn’t meet her gaze. “i made them after you showed me your SOUL.” Frisk glanced at the other locket and opened it. Instead of bathing the area in a white light, it lit up with gentle red light as it projected the same pictures and played the same song. “i think the song sounds right.” Frisk closed both lockets. She offered the red one to Sans, who took it to her surprise. He looped it over his head and then tucked it underneath his sweater.

“You got it right,” Frisk said. “I could never forget it.” Clutching the locket in her hands, Frisk took a hesitant step forward. “Thank you.”

Sans took Frisk’s locket from her, unclasping the chain. She leaned down as Sans placed it around her neck and clasped it again. Their faces were inches apart and in the moment Sans felt impulsive. He closed the distance and kissed her. Frisk grabbed his face and pulled him closer, kissing back desperately. In that moment, Frisk felt the hollow feeling she had inside disappear. Overwhelmed by the love she felt, Frisk clung to him, worrying the moment would disappear if she let go. When they pulled apart, Sans whispered, “love you.”

“I love you so much,” Frisk whispered back.

“how much?” Sans asked, hugging her. Frisk laughed, squeezing him back.

“A skele-ton!”


End file.
